


A Life Worth Living

by Vikki93



Series: Shades and Shadows [4]
Category: Shades of London Series - Maureen Johnson
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-05
Updated: 2015-10-13
Packaged: 2018-04-19 06:35:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 37,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4736156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vikki93/pseuds/Vikki93
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of drabbles in alphabetical order. Sequel to Life is Like a Song, Living Every Moment and Good Days and Bad. Newly married and pregnant, Rory and Stephen are enjoying their lives alongside their fellow shades. Fluff, smut, angst and lots of Story. </p><p>Stephen/Rory. </p><p>Reviews are chocolate :)</p><p>Disclaimer: Characters belong to Maureen Johnson</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Announcement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rory and Stephen announce to the group that they are expecting a baby.

She phoned Jazza and Jerome when she and Stephen had finally stopped crying. They laughed and cried and giggled and hugged and kissed and now it was time to tell everyone else that they were expecting a baby. She didn't tell Jazza or Jerome on the phone but rather asked if they could come over to Goodwin's Court. "I have some news and I'd rather not tell you over the phone. Besides, I'd love to see you both. It's Christmas after all."

She watched Stephen as she spoke, playing with the heart shaped pendant she never tok off. He was pacing the kitchen, smiling, shaking his head in disbelief and then crying again. His glasses lay on the counter but he could still see her where she stood. He sniffed and smiled across at her lovingly. A tear slipped down her cheek as she smiled back. She hung up the phone. "Ok, they're on their way over. Apparently they have some presents for us."

"There's no present in the world they could give me that would be better than our baby." His voice broke on the last word into a sob-laugh hybrid.

She smiled. "I love how excited you are. I was so afraid about how you'd react."

"Afraid?" He looked at her questioningly. "Why would you be afraid?"

She shrugged. "I dunno. We're both quite young, I didn't know how you'd react to having a baby right now."

He sniffed and watched her quietly for moment. He approached her slowly. "After everything we've been through, I'm sure we can handle a baby."

He smiled down at her as he placed both hands on her face. He leant down as she went up onto her tiptoes, arms around his middle. They met halfway and shared a long, slow kiss. Neither one of them heard Callum walk in.

"Did you seriously come into the kitchen just to make out?" He was throwing the stress ball that Boo had given him up in the air and catching it. He was grinning. They broke the kiss politely and Stephen turned to face him, eyes red and voice shaky from crying and laughing and everything in between. "Y'know, I'm fairly certain you're supposed to squeeze them, not throw them."

Callum had stopped throwing the ball when he saw Stephens face. Then he looked at Rory, who looked much the same. He grew immediately concerned. "Are you two ok?"

Rory chuckled and dried her eyes. Stephen just smiled at the ground before reaching for his glasses. "We're fine," Rory said. "We're crying cause we're happy. We actually have a little bit of news for everyone but we're just waiting for Jazza and Jerome to get here."

"Jeez," Callum laughed. "You both sound like you're gonna tell us you're pregnant or something." He continued giggling as he looked at the pair. But the giggling stopped as he watched them. Rory bit her lip and raised her eyebrows. Stephen grinned and started sniffing again as he gently nodded to Callum.

Callum's mouth dropped open. "Holy..."

The three of them stood there for a few seconds more, unmoving and silent. Then Callum smiled. Really smiled. "Mate!" He said going up to Stephen. He shook his hand, pulling him into a hug and clapping his back. "That is incredible."

Stephen chuckled. "Thanks."

Callum walked up to Rory, smiling and shaking his head. "Sis..." He opened his arms and hugged her, holding her close. "I couldn't be happier for you both."

She pulled away from him gently. She was crying again. "Thank you," she managed.

Stephen exhaled heavily. He laughed. "Sweetheart, we need to stop crying or people are going to think something's wrong when we gather them all."

She nodded. "I know, I know."

Callum was elated. "So, do you know how far gone you are? When did you find out? I'm gonna assume that you," he turned to Stephen, "just found out." Stephen nodded. Callum turned back to Rory, beaming. "What about you?"

"I've known for a week. I'm three weeks gone."

Callum shook his head, grinning. "This is such a good day."

"Yes it is," Stephen agreed. He was looking at Rory lovingly. Then they heard a knock on the front door. Rory had told Jazza and Jerome to code so they were able to let themselves into the building and now they were outside the flat. Rory bit her lip. "They're here."

Callum moved fast. "I'll get it. You two dry your eyes and try to make it look like you're not about to tell us that you of you is dying. I'll make sure everyone's gathered in the living room."

Stephen gazed at Rory as Callum left the room. "So are me and Callum the only ones you've told."

She wiped her eyes with a smile. "No. I told Alistair when I went to see him a couple of days ago."

Stephen smiled. "What did he say?"

"Not much, as usual. He did say congratulations and said he would hug me if he wouldn't explode. Which, actually, means quite a lot coming from Alistair. He even blew me a kiss."

He smiled at her and took both of her hands in his, raising them to his lips and kissing them. "Ready?"

"Yeah. Let's go tell them."

* * *

Callum greeted Jazza and Jerome merrily with a hug and a handshake respectively. He took them into the living room where they were greeted by everyone else. They brought with them a bag of presents which they set down on the coffee table. Callum was trying hard not to grin and Boo kept looking at him questioningly. Freddie asked how Jazza and Jerome were doing and asked if they enjoyed living together. They had just replied that they did, very much so, when Stephen and Rory walked in.

Everyone's faces immediately turned to concern when they saw the puffy red eyes on both of them and Rory noticed. She held up her hands in a calming motion. "It's alright, before you ask. Nothing's wrong. Jaz, Jerome, merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," they both answered, uncertain of why their closest friend had, evidently, been crying a great deal.

"Right," Stephen began. "So...me and Rory have a little bit of news."

He turned to her, unable to keep the grin from spreading across his face. She looked at him and nodded gently, taking a deep breath before turning back to the group gathered. Callum looked at them both and nodded enthusiastically while Boo, Thorpe, Freddie, Jerome and Jazza looked on expectantly.

"Yes," Rory said. "We do. Everybody," she took Stephens hand in her own. "Me and Stephen are..." She giggled gently and cleared her throat. "Me and Stephen are expecting a baby."

A collected gasp sounded in the room. Boo's eyebrows raised so high that they nearly came off of her forehead. Her eyes widened and Rory was reminded of the time that she had told her Stephen and she had kissed. She thought her eyes were going to pop out. Her mouth hung open in shock but pulled at the corners in a smile. Callum was grinning again. Freddie put her hand over her heart and looked at them both adoringly. Thorpe was smiling and nodding gently. Jazza hand her hands over her mouth and Jerome blinked fast.

To everyone's surprise, Jerome reacted first. Without a single word he stood and walked over to Stephen. He held out his hand and smiled. Stephen smiled back and shook it before Jerome moved on to Rory. He smiled at her too before placing a small kiss on her forehead and pulling her into a hug. Jazza was very close behind him and squealed in delight as she hugged Rory. Rory laughed before she started crying a little again. By this point, the whole room was reacting. Thorpe shook Stephens hand before Boo and Freddie both threw their arms around him. Jazza moved over to Stephen as well, leaving Rory free to hug Thorpe, Boo and Freddie.

* * *

That night, Stephen came upstairs after brushing his teeth. Before he went into their bedroom, he stopped by the door of the spare room and gently pushed it open. At the moment, it was bare but he knew that in nine months, it would be decorated, furnished and lived in. He smiled as he closed the door and walked into their bedroom.

Rory stood at the chest of drawers in her pyjamas, folding her clothes and putting them away. She looked up and smiled when Stephen walked in and put the final article of clothing away before she shut the drawer. He stood in the doorway just looking at her. She was utterly perfect. He stepped forward gently and walked over to her. Without a word, he placed a kiss on her lips before slowly dropping to his knees and placing one on her clothed stomach. He rested his forehead against her stomach and she gently stroked his hair.

"I love you." He whispered against her stomach.

She giggled. "Are you talking to me or the baby?"

He looked up to her, smiling, tears in his eyes. "Both of you." She smiled down at him and he stood once more and hugged her.

They fell asleep that night holding each other. She lay on her side and he lay behind her, spooning her. His arm was draped over her lovingly and his hand rested on her stomach protectively.


	2. Brand New Year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While the Shades celebrate the new year, Rory and Stephen discuss their baby.

"10...9...8...7..."

The crowd on tv counted down the final few seconds until Big Ben rung in the new year. Rory, Stephen, Callum, Boo, Thorpe, Freddie, Jazza and Jerome all sat in the living room at Goodwin's Court.

"6...5...4...3..."

They had opened a bottle of champagne earlier and Stephen had a glass as did Boo, Freddie and Jazza. Callum, Thorpe and Jerome were driving so they had lemonade as did the pregnant Rory. Boo and Callum huddled closer as the seconds dwindled and so did Jazza and Jerome. Rory sat lounged across Stephens knee, glass in one hand and the other arm around his neck. Her head was nestled against his shoulder. Freddie sat alongside them on the couch while Thorpe sat on the nearby armchair.

"2...1...Happy new year!"

They all cheered as Big Ben struck midnight and everyone in the room shared a news years kiss. Thorpe came across the room and gave Freddie a kiss on the cheek and she gave him one back. Callum kissed Boo passionately. Jazza kissed Jerome slowly. Rory put her glass down on the table and placed her hand on Stephens cheek. She kissed him tenderly. She smiled at him. "Happy new year."

"Happy new year." He planted a small kiss on his fingers and placed his hand on her stomach. "To both of you."

She smiled and nestled into him again. "So, what are you hoping for? A boy or a girl?"

The arm he had wrapped around her waist rubbed her back. "As long as they're healthy and happy, I'm really not bothered if it's a boy or a girl."

She grinned. "Good answer. Actually, I was wanting to talk to you about that."

He pulled his head back slightly to look at her. "Oh?"

"I was thinking, in a few months, when we can find out the sex of the baby, that I don't want to know. You can know if you like, naturally, but I want to wait and be surprised."

He smiled and nodded. "That sounds like a wonderful idea. I want to be surprised too."

She kissed him again. She looked around the room and saw everyone celebrating the new year. Jazza was smiling at them. She smiled back before closing her eyes. "What do you think they'll be like? Smart like their father?"

"And beautiful like their mother."

She suddenly furrowed her eyebrows and sat up slightly. "Do you think he or she will have the gene for the sight?"

He looked at her and considered a moment. "Likely. Since both of us have it, it's highly likely to be passed down but that doesn't mean they'll have the sight. We didn't get it until a near death experience."

"I met a ghost once, Lord Williamson, you met him too, he said he was born  _with_  the sight. No near death experience required."

"I suppose it can sometimes happen like that."

"Do you think...?"

Stephen exhaled slowly as he thought. "Perhaps, since both parents have the gene, this baby  _may_  be born  _with_  the sight but we won't know that until it's older."

"I want them to have a normal life. Well, as normal as possible."

He smiled at her softly. "Normal is relative. This baby will be loved and cared for. That's normal and that's all that's really needed."

She looked at him for a moment and then smiled. "Yeah, you're right. Besides, with the Deveauxs as family, there wasn't really much chance of a normal life."

He laughed heartily and kissed her. "Your family are wonderful. Wonderful is better than normal."


	3. Celebration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In order to celebrate their pregnancy, Stephen and Rory go head to head in a game of Strip Chess.

It was two weeks into the new year but Rory was more focussed on how many weeks into her pregnancy she was. Six weeks. It had already been three weeks since she told Stephen and the others and the time had flown. She hadn't told her family in Louisiana yet because she wanted to see their reactions rather than hear them. She and Stephen had booked a flight over and they left in two weeks. She'd be two months pregnant by then. She could hardly believe it.

Rory had lain on the bed, fully clothed and waiting. She thought it was high time she and Stephen really celebrated her pregnancy alone. The chess board had lain set up between her side of the bed and his. She had remembered suggesting strip chess to him but she had fallen asleep and he had lovingly wrapped her up for the night. Now she was wide awake and the pieces were moved as they both concentrated on the game. She had gotten better at chess and was proving a fair match for Stephen. He was a good teacher.

His socks and shoes were off as were hers and they both eagerly awaited the moment when the next piece left the board. It was Rory's move and Stephen watched her carefully, the look in his eyes the perfect mixture of adoration, love and lust. She felt his eyes crawling over her body and she smirked as she looked at the board. She almost wanted to make a wrong move so he would take one of her pieces and thus, an item of her clothing. Almost. But she wanted to undress him as much as she wanted him to undress her, so she concentrated on what the best move should be. She moved her Knight slowly, unaware of the Bishop that endangered it. She let go of the piece and heard Stephen chuckle. She looked up to see him smirking and then watched as his Bishop took her Knight. She bit her lip and looked back up at him. She grinned.

He reached over and kissed her cheek as his hands lifted the hem of her top. His hands worked up her torso, making sure to brush over the scar on her stomach lovingly as he lifted her top and brought it over her head. He threw it somewhere across the room, his eyes never leaving hers, his smile conveying every ounce of love he had for her. "Your move," he said with a smirk as he backed away once more.

She narrowed her eyes at him comically before she scrutinised the board. She needed to get his shirt off. She would accept no other defeat until she could slowly, teasingly, unbutton his shirt and slip it off of his strong shoulders...

She realised that her throat had gone a little dry and swallowed, returning her attention to the game. She smiled when she saw a move. With a look of triumph, she moved her Castle to take the Bishop that had vanquished the Knight. She couldn't help but wonder if Stephen had planned that because he didn't look overly upset; more like he expected it. Either way, it was small victory for her and womankind because that move signalled the end of Stephens shirt.

She gently crawled across the bed to him, around the board, and stopped in front of him. She placed a hand on his cheek and felt the beginnings of stubble. He turned his face to kiss the hand on it before it was removed. It trailed slowly down his neck to the top button of his shirt where it was joined by her other hand. He watched her as she concentrated on each button, opening each with deft fingers that then feathered over his chest. She pulled the bottom of the shirt loose from his jeans, undid the final button and she slipped it off of him and threw it in the same direction he had thrown her top.

She placed her hands on the side of his stomach and pulled herself forward for a kiss that lasted only a second. Her fingers traced his own scar, left by a ghost as hers had been, as she pulled away slowly. "Your turn," she whispered as she crossed back over to her side of the board. His breathing was heavy and he cleared his throat.

He pondered his next move as hard as he pondered what he would take off of her next. Would he take her bra and have her play topless? Or would that be far too distracting? Should he take her skirt and leave her in her underwear? Her bra was black. He wondered if her knickers were too. And then he realised that he was not paying any attention to the board in front of him. He cleared his throat again. He moved a piece, she moved a piece, he moved another and then he realised he'd made a mistake. Not that he was upset by that. Not this time. He watched as Rory's Bishop took his Castle. She was grinning like a Cheshire Cat. She wasted no time.

She crawled back over, placed her hands on his shoulders and gently pushed him onto his back. She hovered above him, hands on his chest and then they moved down, down, down to the buttons on his jeans. With a devious gleam in her eyes, she gently stroked him through his jeans before undoing them. He sighed at the touch and lifted his hips so that she could pull the jeans off of him. She threw them away and murmured appreciatively at the sight of his arousal through his boxers before crawling back to her side of the bed. She cocked her eyebrows at him, encouraging him to make his move. He sat himself back up and looked at the board. He would not mess up again. Rory's skirt had to go.

And go it did. It was simple. It wasn't the move he had planned but it was the one he wanted to do. They both knew it was a pointless one. He took one of her pawns from the board. She chuckled as he made his way over to her and she lay down to let him unfasten the zip on her skirt and slowly, slowly pull it off of her. Her knickers did indeed match her bra. He sat gazing down at her adoringly before moving back to his side of the bed. "I believe it's your move."

She giggled as she sat upright. She wanted more. She  _needed_  more. She took one of his pawns. She put her Castle in danger from his Queen by doing so but she didn't care. She hurried over and removed his boxers as carefully and as slowly as she had removed his jeans. He lay before her now, wearing only his glasses and his wedding ring. She moved her hands up his legs, tracing her fingers lightly over his cock and placing the smallest possible kiss on the head. Stephens head fell back against the pillows as he exhaled slowly. When she scooted over back to her side of the bed, he bit his lip and sat up to face her, a devilish grin on his face.

It was Stephen's move and there was no hesitation. Rory's Castle was gone and her bra went with it. He reached behind her, never breaking eye contact, expertly undid the clasp and slipped it off of her. With a flick of his wrist, the bra was thrown into whatever corner it landed. He kissed each of her nipples, biting them gently as he kneaded her breasts. And then he was gone. She made her move, breathing as heavily as he was. He made his and her second Knight became a casualty of war. She sighed happily as he came back over to her. She lay down once more. He grinned down at her as his hands ran up her legs and across her thighs. He ran one finger gently ran over her clothed clit and he was delighted by the vocal response she gave. He moved slowly, and she lifted her hips to help them off. And then she lay before him, naked save for the heart shaped pendant around her neck and the wedding and engagement rings on her finger. She really was the most beautiful woman in the world.

He spread her legs gently and leant down. As slow as he possibly could, his long fingers parted her folds and he extended his tongue. He licked her clit and she inhaled sharply. Another lick and then another and she began to buck under him. And then he stopped. " _Stephen_ ," she groaned. "Please...don't stop..."

He chuckled as he sat up and laced his fingers through hers, softly pulling her up into a sitting position. "We have a game to finish." He motioned his head to the almost forgotten chess board.

The game didn't take long to finish and, to the surprise of both them, considering that she had stopped trying, Rory won. She smiled, picked up the board and pieces and placed them on the floor. They could sort that out later. She crawled over to him once more and removed the final article of clothing. She lovingly placed both hands on his cheeks and gently kissed him before she slowly pulled off his glasses, folded them and placed them on the bedside table. "I win," she whispered. She didn't say it seductively, or triumphantly. She said it as gently as she would say "I love you" and they both knew that was exactly what she meant.

He slowly lay down and pulled her with him, his eyes full of love. She straddled him and slowly lowered her hips down onto his. They both gasped breathlessly as he entered her. Her hands were on the pillow on either side of his head, her arms propping her up above him. He looked up at her, overwhelmed. He was never a lucky man. But here he was with the most beautiful woman in the world and he was married to her. And she was carrying their child. Now he was the luckiest man, and the most grateful. The necklace she wore hung between them. Stephen gently raised his head to kiss the heart on it before raising further, catching her lips in his. And then she fully lowered her weight onto him, both of them moaning into each other's mouths as he slid further inside of her. The hands on the pillow moved to his cheeks as they kissed.

He wrapped his arms around her, one on her back and one in her hair as she gently started rocking her hips. They moved slowly, their moans quiet, their gasps breathless, their lips meeting in endless kisses, "I love you" whispered into each other's ears. It was slow and gentle and soft. The desperate need from earlier was replaced by the need to celebrate. Celebrate the fact that they came into each other's lives, that he was alive, that they were married, that they were having a child together and, most of all, that they would always be together as one.

Rory remembered thinking about the figure she had envisioned by her side when she came to London. That figure had always been, and would always be, Stephen.


	4. Denes in Louisiana

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rory and Stephen go to Louisiana to tell her parents that they're expecting a baby.

Stephen sat under the huge ceiling fans in his in-laws house. He had only been in Louisiana an hour and he was already melting. How could it be this warm at the end of  _January_?! Rory was at the shop with her parents and they had asked if he wanted to come. He politely declined, joking that his English body needed the air conditioning of their home. Frank and Louise had laughed and Rory kissed him, telling him that they wouldn't be long.

He sat now, relaxed on the couch in their living room, the sliding door to the garden open. He remembered how, the last time he had been here a couple of months ago, he had sat in the garden with Rory, both of them quietly talking about how he had seen this house before in the underworld. It was very much the same in the real world. He sighed when he thought about the timing of it all. He'd only been here about two months ago. Rory was two months pregnant. She must've fallen pregnant almost immediately after they got back to England. And then he remembered the day after they had got back. The ghost in the attic. She had nearly died and that night they'd made love until the sun began to shine through their window. It must've been then.

He heard the front door open and stood. He walked through to the door and smiled as Rory carried in some shopping bags. He hurried to take them from her. "I'll take them darling."

She laughed. "Y'know, I'm not completely fragile."

He sighed with a smile. "I know. You're the strongest person I know. It's just that...well..."

She nodded and handed him the bags. "I know. So, when are we going to tell them?" She motioned to her parents who were unloading shopping from the car.

"Whenever you like."

"I want to tell them now. After the shopping's in. What do you think?"

"I think," he said, placing the bags down and wrapping his arms around her. "That that is a excellent idea." He kissed her before letting her go. "You go sit down love. I'll help with the shopping."

She giggled. "You really are the perfect husband."

"And you the perfect wife. And the only woman I will ever love." He smiled at her softly before walking past her to the car outside. She heard him call to her parents as she walked through to the living room. "Frank, Louise! Can I help?"

She exhaled and let herself fall onto the couch. She closed her eyes for what felt like a few seconds. Then she felt a finger gently caress her cheek. "Rory?" Stephens voice was soft next to her. She opened her eyes to see him smiling next to her on the couch. She became vaguely aware that she had dozed off. "How long was I asleep?"

"Only the time it took to unload the shopping and get it through to the kitchen. About 10 minutes."

"It felt like 10 seconds. I'm just keep getting tired lately."

"Well the doctor said that's perfectly normal for the first few months of pregnancy."

He put her arm around her shoulder and she nestled into it. "True."

They heard her parents coming through from the kitchen. Stephen looked down at her. "Now?"

She nodded determinedly. "Now."

Frank and Louise smiled at them both as they came in the living room. They carried three glass of iced tea and one cup of hot tea. "Here we are then," Frank said. "Iced tea for us and a hot one for Stephen. I still don't understand how you can drink that." He laughed, as did Stephen. "Thanks Frank. It's very kind of you." Rory sat up a bit and Stephen took his arm from around her shoulders. He picked up the cup and took a sip, allowing the hot liquid to calm him. Rory did the same with the iced tea. He placed the cup back down and he took Rory's hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze when she had placed her glass back on the table. They looked at each other and nodded. Rory spoke calmly. "Mom, dad?" She turned to her parents who sat on the opposite couch. "There's something we have to tell you."

Frank and Louise looked up with a smile. "Oh?" Louise said. "What's that my dears?"

Frank and Louise looked at Rory and Stephen expectantly. Rory continued. "Well, it's something I could've told you over the phone but I honestly wanted to tell you in person." She took a deep breath and with one final look and smile to Stephen, who squeezed her hand again, she turned back to her parents with the news. The words tumbled out fast. "We're having a baby."

She grinned at them as Stephen bit his lip. Louise gasped and then cried, standing and walking over to Rory. She pulled her up and hugged her happily. Frank clapped and laughed then stood, smiling widely at Stephen, and took his hand. "Congratulations my boy."

Stephen breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you Frank."

Louise sobbed happily as she released Rory and Frank went to hug his daughter. Louise came over to Stephen and pulled him into a hug like the one she had given Rory. Stephens eyes watered a bit as he hugged her back. He looked over her shoulder and saw Rory looking at them both, smiling, her lip quivering. He smiled at her as Louise detached herself, mumbling that she was "gonna be a grandma. This is incredible."

"Well," Frank said. "We only have tea of varying temperatures but let's raise our glasses." Rory, Frank and Louise lifted their glasses from the table and Rory stood by Stephen once more. Stephen picked up his cup. Frank led the toast. "To Rory and Stephen."

They cheered and drank. "Oh," Louise said. "I have to phone your Uncle Bick. He's gonna be thrilled."

"Yes," Frank agreed. "And I'll phone Diane if she's not too busy channeling Angels."

They both left the room, leaving Rory and Stephen alone. The tears Stephen had been fighting fell as he laughed. Rory smiled at him warmly as they sat back down on the couch. "This is what you should've had growing up," she said softly. "Family who care."

He nodded, removing his glasses and drying his eyes. "Yeah, but I have a family who care now. And most importantly," he replaced his glasses and laid a hand on her stomach. "Our baby will have too."

* * *

She woke early the next morning. It was going to be a good day. She knew that. She, Stephen and her parents were going out for meal later and the rest of the family would be seeing them to offer their congratulations. She should've been excited for that but all she could think about at that moment was the churning in her stomach. This had started about a week ago and it was one part of her pregnancy that she certainly wouldn't miss. She rushed from the bedroom.

Stephen felt her leave and shook himself awake. It was 6am. He sighed. He felt terrible for her, he really did. He stood, forgoing the dressing gown because, even at the end of January, it was 16 degrees Celsius. Granted, it wasn't hot, but it wasn't cold either. He blinked hard, wiping the sleep from his eyes and putting his glasses on. Then he left the bedroom and walked to Rory's undoubted location.

He heard her before he saw her. He opened the bathroom door and found her as he had found her every morning for the past week. She was hunched over the toilet bowl. He gently knelt down behind her and pulled back her long hair, holding it out of the way. He rubbed her back soothingly as he heard more footsteps approaching. Louise gently pushed open the door. Stephen looked round at her with a smile. She smiled gently. "Everything ok?"

"Morning sickness," he replied. "She started getting it a week ago."

She nodded sympathetically as Rory gently turned around to her mother. "Yes, I remember that well. Peppermint chewing gum. Sounds odd, I know, but it worked wonders for me."

Rory smiled weakly. "Thanks mom."

She nodded gently. "I'll go make you a bite to eat. Some dry toast might help. Stephen will look after you."

Rory turned her eye to Stephen as she spoke. "I know. He's always looked after me."

"And I always will." He gently placed a hand on her stomach, careful not to trigger more nausea. "Both of you."


	5. Epiphany

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callum comes to a sudden realisation about his relationship with Boo.

It had come down on him like a tonne of bricks.

Callum had been working on the underground as usual. He had had to terminate one ghost but had managed to negotiate with another. He thought that Boo would like that.

He thought about all those times he had disagreed with Boo over ghosts. Or disagreed with her over anything. There were a few things. He had disagreed with her over the terminus more than once. He had disagreed with her about ghosts since the day he met her, although he was starting to soften now. He had even disagreed with her about Stephen. She had been enthusiastic about saving him as a ghost. He had thought that he'd want to be allowed to leave.

Not that that mattered anymore. Stephen was alive, well, married and, soon to be a father. He smiled as he thought about that. How far was gone was Rory now? Two months? Two and a half? He was sure she was two and a half months gone but he would have to ask Stephen. He knew that Stephen was counting the days until he held his son or daughter in his arms.

There was a vague sense of longing in Callum at that moment. He didn't know what it was so he let it go.

He drove his car back to the office at Goodwin's Court. As he was driving, he passed one of several restaurants. Perhaps he would take Boo there one night this week. She would like that.

He thought about the last time that they had sat in a proper restaurant and had a meal. It had been when Stephen and Rory were announcing their bridesmaids and groomsmen. He had watched them spend the night giggling away, smiling, kissing, holding hands. Rory had looked at her engagement ring a million times that night. He had smiled at her.

And now they were married, had their own place, a child on the way. Everything had turned out perfect for them. Miracles really did happen. He smiled as he thought about their wedding. How happy they had both been. How happy they were now.

There was a vague sense of longing in Callum at that moment. He didn't know what it was so he let it go.

He almost drove past Goodwin's Court in his distraction. He parked outside the archway, walked through onto the little Dickensian street, waved into the window and typed in the code on the keypad. The office door was open. "Hello all," he said as he walked in. "All" were Rory, Stephen and Freddie. Rory and Stephen sat together on the couch and Freddie was in the armchair. Rory appeared to be dozing. Freddie smiled up at Callum as he walked in and Stephen gave Rory a small kiss on the forehead before he stood. "You're just in time," he said quietly. "I was about to make tea."

Callum took off his coat and laid it over the back of the second couch. "I'll help you." He looked sweetly at Rory before walking into the small kitchen adjoined to the office with Stephen. "She looks exhausted," he said sympathetically as he walked in. This kitchen was a good deal smaller than the one upstairs but it suited it's purpose.

"She is," Stephen replied as he put the kettle on. "She was up early this morning. This morning sickness is really getting to her. But the doctor said that most woman lose their morning sickness in the third month of pregnancy so we're both hoping for that."

"And how far gone is she exactly?" Callum leant against the counter, waiting for the answer to what he had been wondering in the car.

"Two and a half months," Stephen said as he put the teabags into three mugs. He held up a fourth mug and gestured to Callum, silently asking if he wanted tea. Callum nodded, acknowledging both the offer of tea and Rory's pregnancy. He furrowed his eyebrows. "Where's Boo?" As he asked, that odd feeling he had in the car came back, that vague sense of longing.

Stephen retrieved a fifth mug from the cupboard as he talked. "She left something at Waterloo. She left about ten minutes before you got in so she shouldn't be long."

"Ahhhh," Callum said. He looked questioningly at the mugs and the teabags. "Five mugs? There's only four of us here and only three awake. Also, who here drinks green tea?"

Stephen chuckled. "Rory. It's one of her cravings. Surprised the hell out of me. Anyway, Boo will be back soon and she always wants tea. And it probably won't be long until Rory's awake. She never sleeps for long and likes to have a cup of green tea when she wakes up."

Callum smiled. "You're such an attentive husband."

"Well, I try to be."

The front door opened at that moment and Callum looked through into the office to see Boo greet Freddie. She saw him and came through. "Hey," she grinned.

"Hey," they both said.

"Is that tea you're making? You're a saint Stephen."

He laughed quietly as the kettle boiled. He lifted it from its base and poured the water into the mugs. "Well no ones ever called me that before."

"Well you are. I see Rory's still out for the count."

"Yep. I've made her tea in case she wakes up though."

"Good man."

"Sickeningly good," Callum quipped and Boo gave him a gentle, playful punch on the arm.

"Well I'd best put these papers away." She smiled at Stephen and gave Callum a quick kiss before leaving the small kitchen.

And it suddenly hit him. In that kiss everything became clear. That sense of longing he felt suddenly made sense. He had felt it when he had thought about Stephen and Rory's baby. He had felt it when he thought about their marriage. He hadn't known what it had meant. He knew now.

It had come down on him like a tonne of bricks.

His face must've betrayed his thoughts because Stephen noticed. "Callum? Callum? You ok? You look like you've just discovered another world. What's up?"

It took a moment for his words to register with him but when they did, he turned his head slowly before lowering his eyes to the ground. His voice was quiet, so that no one other than Stephen would hear them.

"I want to marry Boo and have a family with her."

Stephen blinked. Then he blinked again. Then he set down the teaspoon he had been using to stir the tea. Then he blinked again. "Well...good. That's a good thing. You're in love with her after all. Has this just occurred to you?"

"I think it occurred to me earlier today but I didn't realise it." He was still staring at the floor, wide eyed.

Stephen smiled softly. "It's a beautiful moment when you realise you want to marry to woman you love."

"But getting married, wanting a family...it's all so...normal." Callum finally looked up at Stephen. "We're not normal."

Stephen considered him for a moment. "What we do isn't what people would deem normal. Nor is the ability we have deemed normal. But that doesn't mean we aren't allowed something normal. I mean...look at me and Rory. We're a strange group but me and her are the strangest. She's a human terminus, I've died but not quite died and then come back, we've both been to the underworld...and yet here we are. Preparing for a baby, getting a midwife, getting ready for her first scan in a fortnight, finding out the due date, thinking about names, pricing cribs and prams and highchairs and car seats. We may not be normal but we are allowed normal things. If me and Rory can do this, you and Boo can do it too."

Callum smiled. Then he smiled a bit more. Then he grinned. "You're right. I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna propose. I don't know when. I still need money to buy a ring. But I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna propose to Boo."

Stephen came over and hugged him, clapping him on the back. "I'm thrilled for you. Come on, let's get these teas through."

"Yeah."

They both walked back over to the counter that the teas sat on. "So," Callum said, "you're thinking of names?"

"Well I've told Rory she can choose. Y'know, she's got to go through all this pregnancy stuff, the labour, the childbirth, it's only fair she names the baby."

"True enough."

"And she says she's already chosen the names."

"Already? You don't know the sex yet."

"She's got one of each for either eventuality but she won't tell me what they are."

Laughing, Callum picked up two mugs while Stephen expertly handled three and carried them through into the office, setting them down onto the table. Rory's eyes flickered as Stephen sat back down next to her with his tea. She opened them fully and smiled when she saw her green tea on the table. She looked across at Stephen and smiled sleepily and he smiled back. She leant forward and picked up her tea, noticing Callum. "Oh, hey Callum."

"Hey Ror. You alright?"

"Tired. This baby is taking it out of me but I'm fine."

She smiled as she leant back again and tried to get comfortable. She looked across at Stephen again. "Stephen, do you mind if I...?" She gestured to his lap. He kissed her.

"Not at all sweetheart."

She chuckled. "Thanks."

She lifted her legs and laid them across his lap, stretching out on the couch fully, sipping her tea. Stephen caressed one of her legs lovingly.

Callum watched them from the other couch and that feeling of longing filled him again but this time he understood it. Boo sat next to him and he took her hand in his. As he turned his head to her, he saw Stephen smiling at them.


	6. First Scan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephen and Rory go for their first scan and see their baby for the first time.

Rory lay on the bed in the hospital room. She was not a fan of hospitals because they had always meant that either her or someone she cared about were hurt. Her mind flashed to the several instances involving the man beside her. But now her hospital visits concerned their baby. Her top was pulled up to reveal her stomach. She had been a little conscious about showing her scar to the sonographer but she had paid no mind to it. Stephen sat on the seat next to her and held her hand. He had pulled the seat as close to the bed as was possible. The screen before them was blank at the moment.

"Ok, Mrs Dene," the sonographer said happily. "I see from your notes that this is your first pregnancy. Would you like me to explain how this works?"

Rory nodded. "Yes please."

"Ok," the sonographer continued. She showed Rory a tube of gel and a small hand held device. "I put this gel on your stomach. It helps the transducer with the scan. This is the transducer. I move this across your tummy and then this screen will let us see your baby."

Rory smiled and nodded. She laughed nervously. "Ok."

"It may be a little cold," she said as she opened the tube.

As she placed the gel on Rory's stomach, Rory flinched a little from the cold. She giggled as the transducer was rolled across her skin. It tickled a little. The sonographer turned on the screen in front of them and Rory and Stephen looked at each other with nervous smiles before looking back at the screen.

It blinked on like a tv did. She saw the outline of her uterus and she thought that was weird. And then they saw it. Both Stephen and Rory gasped quietly. It was tiny, only about 7cm big. They could just make out a tiny head, hands and feet. It looked like it might be sleeping. That was their child. They had made that little life they could see on the screen. A night of love and passion had given them this beautiful little baby. They both sat staring at the screen, staring at their baby, in silence and in awe.

Stephens hand squeezed Rory's and she squeezed back. He was smiling and biting his lip. He looked at Rory and found that she was crying gently, tears slipping down her cheeks uncontrollably. He lay his head on top of hers and felt her nestle into his shoulder. The sonographer was smiling. She spoke gently, wanting to keep the calm atmosphere of the room intact. "Would you like to hear the heartbeat?"

Rory looked at her wide eyed. "You can do that?"

The sonographer smiled at her gently and nodded softly. She pressed some buttons out of Rory's view. Then a small, quiet beat filled the room and Rory sobbed out loud. Her hand tightened around Stephens. He, meanwhile, had lost the fight with his own tears. After a few moments of listening to the baby's heartbeat, the sonographer turned the sound off and froze the screen. She took the transducer away from Rory's stomach and wiped the gel away. She looked at the screen again. "Your baby looks perfectly healthy and is developing at a steady rate. From the rate of growth and the date you conceived, I estimate your due date to be September 4th." She looked to the crying couple. "I'll give you both a few minutes."

Rory nodded, speechless for eh first time in her life. Stephen smiled up at the sonographer. "Thank you."

She smiled as she left the room. When the door shut, Rory wept happily. "Stephen, that's...that's our..."

He laughed through his own tears as they looked at the frozen image on the screen. "I know. That's us Rory. That's you and me and our love for each other. We made that."

"September," she whispered. "We're going to meet our baby in September."

He looked at her and bit his lip, smiling because he thought he knew what she was about to say. She continued, looking away from their baby to him. " _We_  met in September."

"Yeah," he whispered back, drying his eyes, "we did."

"It's perfect. Everything is perfect."

They gazed at each other. Stephen couldn't handle it anymore. He caught her lips in a kiss and broke it just as gently. They cried against each other silently, happily.

Rory gently turned her head back to the screen. "I can't wait to show the others this sonogram."

He kissed the top of her head and squeezed her hand again. "Rory?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you too."


	7. Godparents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rory and Stephen decide who their baby's godparents will be

Rory and Stephen had asked to see them in smaller groups rather than as a larger one. While they both would've liked to have seen everyone's reactions at once, they both felt that it would be better for Rory's sake if it was done bit by bit. She was getting tired a lot lately. Callum, Boo and Freddie were out on a call and Thorpe was still at Thames House so the first people to see them were Jazza and Jerome. And they had chosen today because it was special. It was Rory's 21st birthday. It was going to be a quiet day regardless because she got worn out a lot quicker.

Stephen heard the front door open down stairs and, a few seconds later, there was a knock at the front door of the flat. Rory had just dozed off a few minutes earlier so Stephen stood quietly and made his way to the door. He opened it to see Jazza and Jerome standing there with presents. He smiled to them both. "Hey," he whispered as Jazza hugged him. "Come on in." Jerome shook his hand with a smile and a returned "hey" as they entered the flat. "Me and Rory wanted to talk to you both about something but she's just dozed off on the couch. I doubt she'll be asleep long. Just make your way through and I'll make some teas for us."

They smiled at him and gently made their way through into the living room. Stephen walked into the kitchen and put the kettle on. He got four mugs out, put normal teabags in three and a green teabag in one and waited for the kettle to boil. He drummed his fingers on the counter and paced the kitchen. He soon heard talking in the living room, Rory greeting Jazza and Jerome, Jazza and Jerome wishing her a happy birthday. She was awake. He leant against the counter, facing away from the kettle, arms folded and smiled to himself as he heard them talking about the baby. When he heard Jazza "awwww" with delight, he knew that Rory had shown them the photo of the scan they had been to a couple of days earlier. He closed his eyes and let his head fall back as he thought about the baby. The kettle boiled behind him and he cleared his throat as he turned around. He picked up the kettle, poured the water and replaced the kettle on the base. He took the milk from the fridge, added it to the teas, replaced it, got a teaspoon and stirred them before removing and binning the teabags. He took a tray from the cupboard and placed the teas on it and carried them through to the living room with expert balance. He pushed the door open with his shoulder and smiled at the group. Rory looked up at him with a smile as he set the tray down on the table. He picked up each mug individually and handed them to the others with a smile. Then he sat down on the couch next to Rory.

"So," Jazza said, taking a sip of her tea, "lovely tea, by the way, Stephen - what was it you wanted to talk to us about?"

"Yeah," Jerome agreed. "We've been curious since you phoned. We've been debating what it might be for the length of the car trip."

"Well," Rory said with a side smile to Stephen, "we've made a decision. It didn't take long to come to. In fact, it really only took a couple of minutes. We've been thinking about who the baby's godparents could be."

Jazzas eyes sparkled and she bit back a smile. "And what have you decided?"

"We've decided," Stephen answered, "that he or she is going to have three godfathers and three godmothers."

"So they'll be plenty of people to care for the baby should something terrible happen to me or Stephen. Naturally, my parents would take them first but if they were unable to, the care could fall to any of the six we've chosen. God forbid anything should happen but we do have a, sometimes, dangerous job. Because of that, we've chosen our baby's godparents with care. We've chosen people that we would trust with him or her."

"So," Jerome said with a hint of hope in his voice, "why did you ask to see me and Jaz?"

Rory smiled widely and looked at Stephen. They took hold of each other's hands and looked back to the couple opposite. "Because," Rory said, still smiling, "we want you and Jazza to be two of those godparents."

Jazza gasped and placed her hands over her mouth and then, just as quickly, stood and walked over to Rory. She sat on the arm of the couch next to Rory and hugged her, squealing the whole time. Rory laughed at her excitement. Jerome stood and shook Stephens hand with a "thank you" and a wide grin. When Jazza finally relinquished Rory and moved to hug Stephen, Jerome took her place on the arm and hugged Rory.

"Well," Rory said when the hugging was done and everyone had settled back down with their teas, "I can't wait for the baby to meet their Aunt Jaz and Uncle Jerome."

They all laughed.

* * *

Callum, Boo and Freddie came back to the office frazzled and mud splattered. Rory and Stephen made their way downstairs when they heard them come in. They both stopped in their tracks once they saw them. Rory very quickly stifled a laugh while Stephen just stared wide eyed. Eventually, he had to ask. "What...the hell...happened to you three?"

Callum glared at Stephen. "Don't ask."

"But-"

"Mate. Don't ask."

Stephen bit his lip and nodded. "Okay."

"We just came to drop the termini off," Boo said tiredly. "Now we plan to go back home, wash and change. We'll be back in an hour."

And with that the three of them left, leaving Rory and Stephen to wonder what had happened. "One day," Stephen said to Rory with a laugh, "one day they're without us and look at them. What must they have be like when we were in Louisiana?"

Rory laughed as they went back upstairs.

True to their word, they returned about an hour later, washed and changed. Callum was in a decidedly better mood when he walked into the living room of the flat. "Right," he said as he came through the door, "I'm good now. Everything's good."

Stephen nodded. "I'm glad. I won't ask what happened again."

"Mate, you don't wanna know. Ror, happy birthday love." He went over to her and gave her a hug. Boo and Freddie came in seconds later laughing about something. Boo was holding something behind her back. She came over to the table and revealed a birthday cake. "Happy birthday!" Boo and Freddie squealed together.

Rory gasped. "Oh my god. Thanks guys."

"I still can't believe we're not doing something extra special," Callum said. "It's your 21st!"

"I know," Rory replied. "But the baby makes me tired. And it's not like I can drink."

Callum conceded. "True."

Then the downstairs door opened. Callum, Boo and Freddie looked around towards the sound. "That'll be Thorpe," Stephen said. "I phoned him before. Asked him to come round. Me and Rory need to talk to you four."

"Oh," Freddie said a little worried. "What about?"

"It's nothing bad," Rory assured them. "It's good. We just want to tell the four of you together."

Boo nodded slowly. "Ok."

The living room door opened again and Thorpe stepped in, nodding to them all. "Happy birthday Rory. So," he said, "what did you need to talk about?"

Rory and Stephen looked to each other before Stephen turned his attention back to the others. He gestured towards the other couch and armchairs. "Please."

They all moved to sit and once they had, Stephen took Rory's hand. For the second time that day, Rory explained that they had reached a decision about their baby's godparents and how, if anything happened to them and her parents couldn't take the baby, the care would fall to one of the six they had chosen. Callum, Boo, Freddie and Thorpe were listening carefully, smiles widening on their faces. "We've already told two of the six, Jazza and Jerome, and they were delighted. And that's why we wanted to talk to you four together."

"Oh god." Boo put her hands over her mouth like Jazza had done as she listened with anticipation.

Stephen smiled at the four of them in turn. "We would like you to be the other four godparents."

The room exploded with cheers of delight as they all moved to hug them at once. When the hugs were exchanged and promises were made about how they were going to be the best godparents ever, Thorpe cleared his throat. "This has been wonderful but I'm afraid I must get back to Thames House. I can come back tonight if you'll all still be here."

"Probably will be," Freddie said. "We'll still be celebrating."

With a smile, Thorpe walked to the living room door. "I'll see you out," Stephen said.

"We both will," Rory added.

Rory and Stephen walked Thorpe downstairs to the front door and looked at each other. They nodded gently. Thorpe opened the door. "Thank you both again. I'm honoured you would choose me to be one of your baby's godfathers." He smiled as he stepped out the door but Rory stopped him. "Wait. There's something we want to add to what was said upstairs."

Thorpe stood in the doorway and turned his attention fully to the couple. "Oh?"

Stephen stepped forward. "The thing is, we trust everybody we've chosen with our baby if anything happened to me and Rory. We trust them implicitly. And hopefully it'll never come down to it but..."

"But if something did happen," Rory continued, stepping closer to Thorpe, "and Jazza, Jerome, Callum, Boo or Freddie got the baby, we'd be ok with that. But we are aware that we've chosen people that are still just our age, still young. And that doesn't mean they're incapable. It doesn't mean that at all. All we're saying is...if one of those five did get the baby...would you promise me, promise  _us_ ," she took Stephens hand, "to keep an eye on that person  _and_  the baby. We trust them to look after him or her but would you just drop in and make sure everything's alright now and then? We only ask because, well, you're older than us and you're good at looking after people."

Thorpe looked at them both softly and nodded. He stepped closer to Rory and gently placed his hands on her shoulders. "I promise, if anything happens to you both, I will protect your baby as if it were my own."

Stephen smiled while Rory let out the breath she didn't know she was holding. "Thank you." She wrapped her arms around Thorpe's middle and pulled herself into a hug. He rubbed her back softly before giving them both a final smile. "I'll be back tonight."

As the door shut, Rory turned back to Stephen and smiled. They took each other's hands and walked back upstairs to the celebrating godparents. "Rory?"

"Yeah?"

"Happy birthday sweetheart."

She smiled and nestled her head against his shoulders as they walked. "Thank you."


	8. Happy Anniversary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rory and Stephen enjoy their wedding anniversary.

The day started as the days always did. The sunlight peeked through the closed curtains of their bedroom. Rory was wrapped in Stephens arms, each of them sleeping with a hand on her stomach where a baby bump was just beginning to develop. Stephen woke first and gently kissed the forehead of the still sleeping Rory. She stirred against him and her eyelids flickered. She murmured softly as her eyes opened and she raised her head slowly to look at him. He smiled at her. "Good morning."

She stretched and rolled onto her front, resting on his chest and enjoying the feel of it rising and falling. "Good morning."

"How do you feel?"

"Alright. I think the morning sickness is finally gone." She spoke through a yawn.

"I'm glad."

He gently stroked her hair as she lay against him. She kissed his chest and spoke. "Happy anniversary."

He grinned. "Happy anniversary."

"Can you believe we've been married a whole year?"

"No, the times flown by. But it's been the best year of my life."

"Best year of your life  _so far_ ," she added.

He chuckled. "So far," he agreed.

"We have so much to look forward to."

"And I can't wait."

They lay silently for a moment before Rory spoke again. "What's up with Callum and Boo?"

Stephen looked down at her lying on his chest. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, every time you look at them, you smile as if you know something. Don't forget, I learned how to read your expressions long ago. There's not much you can keep from me."

He smiled. "Promise not to tell Callum I told you?"

"Promise."

"He told me he's going to propose to Boo."

She sat up quickly, her eyes wide, her mouth open and forming a smile. "What?! When did he tell you this?"

"It was a while ago. About a month back. He told me he still needs money to buy a ring but he definitely wanted to marry her. And he wanted to start a family with her one day too."

Rory's voice went high pitched. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!"

He laughed. "But don't tell him I told you. I don't know if he wanted anyone else to know or not."

"I won't tell, I won't tell. Oh my god..." She lay back down on his chest and his hand stroked her back. "That's incredible."

* * *

Callum, Boo, Freddie and even Thorpe insisted that neither Stephen or Rory go out on call that day. It was their anniversary, they said. Enjoy it. Stephen had already planned an evening meal for them and now he had the whole day to relax with her. He surprised her with a bouquet of roses and a bracelet. It was gold plated with an inscription;  _With all my love, always. Stephen x_  She cried, a mixture of happiness and pregnancy hormones. She was sure her hormone levels would drive her crazy or murderous. Or both. She gave him a new watch and he accepted it happily before he put his arms around her. "I didn't need anything from you darling. You're already carrying the greatest present I could ever receive."

After that, they relaxed on the couch. He sat with his arm around her and she had her feet pulled up under her and was cuddling into him. A pile of DVDs sat on the living room table alongside plates of crisps and chocolate. She dozed off against him halfway through the first movie, soothed by the sound of his heartbeat. Later that evening, she dressed for the meal he had booked. She wore the red, sleeveless, knee length dress she had worn on the night he had proposed to her. This would likely be the last chance she'd have to wear it before the baby was born. Even now, although her bump was tiny and barely visible, it was tight. But she still managed to squeeze herself into it and gazed happily at her reflection in the mirror. He smiled warmly when he saw her wearing it, no doubt remembering the night she had last worn it.

The meal was lovely and they laughed and talked and held hands across the table. Rory had noticed that the tablecloth of the table they sat on was long so no one else could see their legs. And she was feeling particularly naughty. She took a sip of the lemonade she had ordered, looking over the glass seductively. As she did that, she slipped of the shoe she was wearing and ran her foot up Stephens leg. She watched as his lips parted in mild surprise and she could see his chest jerk as he breathed in quickly. He raised his eyebrows at her as her foot traced lines up and down his leg before coming to rest on his crotch. He cleared his throat and hurriedly picked up his glass of wine, taking a sip to try and distract himself from his wife's foot pressing against him. It didn't take long for them to get the bill, get in a taxi and make their way back to Goodwin's Court.

They had barely got up the stairs, through the front door and into the living room before they were kissing passionately. Stephens hand was pressed against her lower back while the other ran down her body and made its way up her dress. She gasped into his mouth as his hand slid into her knickers and his long fingers began to gently stroke her clit. She broke the kiss but their lips stayed close as she bucked into his touch, moans of assent tumbling from her lips. Her hands gripped his shoulders tightly. Her eyes were closed and her mouth hung open. "Stephen...yes..."

He chuckled and his voice was low and heavy. "Yeah, you like it when I touch you there, don't you?"

She groaned happily as her hand slid down to his and she gently pushed it away. He looked at her with a little confusion but the smile told him she didn't want him to finish. Her voice was strained, as if all the breath she had had been taken away. "I have three instructions for you." She backed away from him and pressed herself up against the wall of the living room, panting heavily. "Fuck me  _here_."

He smiled and stalked over to her, his eyes dark with lust. He placed both hands on the wall on either side of her. Her voice was a plea. "Fuck me  _now_."

She had barely finished her sentence before his lips came crashing against hers, her hands going into his hair trying to pull him closer still. She broke the kiss with a heavy gasp.

"Fuck me  _hard_."


	9. Insecurities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephen worries that he will be like his father. Note: there's a time jump. This chapter is set about a month after the last one.

Stephen stood at Rory's vanity table, a wedding gift from her father, as he brushed his hair. He could hardly believe that Rory was already five months pregnant. Her baby bump was starting to show properly now. It wasn't huge but it wasn't small either. She was now visibly pregnant. In four months, that bump would be replaced with a baby. That baby would be his child. His son or his daughter. He smiled at his reflection as he placed the brush down. He placed both hands on the table and looked into the mirror. In four months, he would have a child of his own. And then it dawned on him. He suddenly realised that he didn't really know how to be a father. His hadn't been a shining example. And then the smile left his face and he lowered his head in thought. In four months, a baby would depend on him and Rory for love and care and guidance.

It finally really hit him that he was going to be a father.

A father.

He was going to have a child. And that terrified him. Not because he didn't love Rory. He loved her more than anything. He would give his life for her in an instant and had done so. And it was not because he didn't want the baby. He couldn't wait. It was because he knew very well that some men just weren't meant to be fathers. Like his father.

Edward Dene was no father to Stephen. He never learned from him how to be one. What if he was like his own? What if he couldn't connect and bond with the baby? What if he was distant and cold like his own father was to him? He wanted to be the kind of father that his child would love, not resent. He wanted his son or daughter to be able to come to him to talk about anything, their worries, fears, and concerns.

He didn't want to be the father who pushed his child away, forgot about them and clearly didn't care for them. He didn't want to be the man his father was. But what if that was who he became? What if he became Edward Dene? His fathers coldness was all he knew from him. He was terrified of becoming that man.

He raised his head and looked into the mirror to stare at his reflection. The harder and longer he stared, the more he saw his father in himself and the worse he felt. And then he could stand it no more. He closed his eyes to block out his reflection and tears fell. His face contorted as he sobbed, quietly at first and then, with a cry of anguish, his legs gave way and he crumpled to the ground where he wept openly.

All of his fears, his insecurities, his uncertainties, all of them escaped him as he huddled on the floor, crying so hard that he was sure he would cry no more. He felt alone and lost, destined to repeat his father's mistakes, destined to alienate his child. That was what the Denes did. And he was a Dene. He had been so excited for this baby and now he was scared and that devastated him. He thought about the first time they went for a scan, the first time he'd seen their baby. He was so happy and now all he felt was fear. He felt like he'd been cheated, like the universe had played another cruel trick by making him excited just to steal that away and replace it with terror and the absolute certainty that he would fail his child. He hated the fact that somehow,  _somehow_ , his father had managed to get under his skin one last time.

But then, he felt arms around him, pulling him from the ball he had curled himself into and holding him close. He tried to calm himself as he was cradled but his breath was coming in gasps and tears kept falling. He managed to wrap his own arms around her middle, and held on as if she was the only thing in the world, sobbing against her. He loved her so much. She was so strong and she had never let him stay lost. So he held onto her, silently praying that everything would be ok because she was here now. And everything was always ok when he was with her. She stroked his hair and kissed his head. And they stayed like that for ten minutes, maybe more, as he wept. While Stephen worked through his breakdown, Rory held him close to her, not once letting him go.

She offered no words because she knew that all he needed was someone to hold onto. Instead, she offered him her presence, her strength and, most of all, the love of her and the child she carried. She offered whatever feelings of comfort and safety her arms could bring to him. Countless times he had cradled her thus. Countless times he would again. But this time, it was he that needed the comfort of loving arms. She knew not the reason but at this moment it didn't matter. He needed her now and she would stay here, on the floor of their bedroom, until whatever troubled him had passed and she could assuage any fears that he was burdened with.

As she held him close, he spoke against her, his voice broken and heavy. His speech was pierced with sobs. "I...I can't...I'm so afraid...I'm going... going to turn into my father."

She sighed quietly and kissed his head. She truly, with every ounce of her being, hated his parents. She had only met them once, long ago in Harrods, but that meeting and the stories she knew of them were more than enough. His father was no father. And Stephen would not be like his father. She knew it. To the very bottom of her soul, she knew it. But Stephen didn't and it broke her heart as much as it had broken his. So that is what had caused this? Even now, his father was hurting him. His own failure as a parent had made Stephen sure that he would fail his child too. That was not possible and she had to make him see that.

"You're not going to turn into your father."

"But..but..," He was struggling, his body heaving violently from the sobs. "I have no idea how to be a father...I..I didn't have anyone to learn from. I don't...I don't know if I can do this...he never..." He gave in as he wept more.

Rory's breath caught in her chest and her heart skipped a beat, and she desperately fought to keep the tears from her own eyes. She was sad for Stephen. She was sad that he was clearly so afraid. She was angry. She was angry at his parents for never showing him or Regina love. She was angry at the world for taking someone as kind, compassionate and loving as Stephen and breaking him over and over again. And she was scared. Did Stephen not want to be a father after all?

"Please," she began, her voice small, unsure and afraid. "Please tell me you still want this baby."

He inhaled sharply and the sobs stopped abruptly as he sucked air back into his lungs. Surely, she couldn't think that he didn't? But perhaps he had scared her. He pulled back slowly and looked at her through red eyes. His vision was blurry with tears but he could still see the small amount of fear in her eyes. "Oh, sweetheart," he took her hands in his, his voice almost inaudible. "Of course I want this baby. I'm not afraid of being a father. I'm afraid of being my father."

He swallowed hard and she disentangled her hands from his and placed them on his face. His eyes were downcast. "Look at me Stephen."

He looked up at her. Her voice was determined and strong. "You are not going to be your father. Your father cared for nothing but himself. You care for everyone around you. You have so much love to give and he had none."

"But... But how am I supposed to be a father when  _he_  is my only example?"

She smiled. Really smiled. "By using him as an example. An example of what not to do. You know he treated you and your sister awfully. So you know not to do that. And you don't have it in you to do that Stephen. You're such a good person and I know that you will be a loving, caring father to our child just as you have been a loving, caring friend and husband to me."

He sobbed gently and smiled. It was a small smile but a smile nonetheless. Rory would take anything right now. She placed her forehead against his, hands still on his face. "I know you can do this and you can do it right," she whispered. " _I believe in you_."

She dropped one of her hands to his and took ahold of it, placing it on the bump that was their baby and holding it there. "We  _both_  do."

They sat there silently holding each other as Stephens sadness ebbed away. He was not his father. He was not Edward Dene. He was Stephen Dene. A little boy who had been lost and alone but was now home. He would not repeat his father's mistakes. He silently swore that to Rory, the love of his life, to their child and to the aunt their baby would never meet. _I swear, Regina. I will not be our father. I will not fail my baby as our parents failed us_.

He knew it was only in his mind, or at least he thought it was. Either way, it no less real than if she had been standing there, watching from the doorway, bangles halfway up her arms, smile on her face. He heard her voice in his head and he decided that yes, it was real.  _I know Stephen. You're gonna be fab. This baby is so lucky to have a father like you. You're so good. I'm so proud of you, my wonderful baby brother._

And maybe, just maybe, her voice wasn't imagined. Maybe she was actually telling him that. Maybe she was somewhere watching over him. Maybe she really was always there for him and always would be.


	10. Jeweller

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callum hunts for the perfect engagement ring and finally finds one that he can afford.

Callum kept it hidden well. Since he shared a room with Boo, he  _had_  to have it hidden well or she would've wondered what on earth he was up to. It was all rolled into a sock and that roll of socks were hidden under the chest of drawers in their room. He always made sure she was nowhere around whenever he got it out. Every time he got paid, he put some more away. It would take him forever to save up for the perfect ring. It had taken him three months to save the £200 he had managed. And that had been very difficult. He couldn't keep doing that. £200 would have to do.

He had travelled around from jeweller to jeweller. Everywhere he went, the cheapest engagement ring he could find was about £500 while the most expensive had been in the thousands. He had made a list of every jeweller in London and had been to most of them. Maybe he would have to struggle for a bit longer. He could give himself more time. He still had to ask her parents for permission, he was a little old fashioned like that, and that would take time since they were visiting family in Mumbai. He turned the car around and started the journey back to Waterloo. The £200 in his wallet would just have to go back into the roll of socks and back under the chest of drawers. He sighed to himself as he drove and looked at his list once more. There was a jewellers not far from the flat. He would try there and, if there was nothing, he would give up for the time being. Getting married was expensive work. Even getting the engagement ring was breaking his bank.

He could've asked Stephen for help. Stephen had access to a little bit of money from his family. Although they hated each other, they granted him a little something now and again. Not out of love, but out of principle. Their son was a Dene, and no Dene who had attended Eton should struggle too much. It was a sense of obligation that kept the money coming to Stephen, not family love. But Stephen rarely took it. It just accumulated in the separate bank account he had set up for it. The bank account he rarely touched. He'd dipped into it for Rory's engagement ring though. He figured his family should be good for something. And he figured it would burn them if they ever found out that their money had helped him marry what his father had called "an American whore." Stephen proposed because he was madly in love with Rory and always had been. He'd bought the engagement ring with his parents money as one last, giant "fuck you" to them.

So, yes. Stephen had a bit of money set aside. He wasn't sure how much but clearly enough to comfortably buy the £3,000 ring on Rory's finger. He could've asked for help. But he kinda wanted to do this by himself. He nearly drove past the jewellers. He parked the car and stepped out onto the street. It was next to the river so he took a moment to look out across London before going into the store. There were a few people in there already and a sales assistant greeted him immediately with a smile. "Good afternoon sir. How can we help you today?"

Callum smiled back at the man. "Morning. I'm looking for an engagement ring."

"Of course, sir. If you'd like to come this way."

The sales assistant took him over to a large glass counter. "This is our selection of engagement rings. They are all of excellent quality, I can assure you. Over on the right, we have our most expensive collection and on the left we have the more affordable options, all of which are of the same excellent quality as the more expensive options. I shall leave you to browse. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask."

Callum smiled widely. "Thank you."

The sales assistant nodded before walking back to the middle of the room. Callum cleared his throat before looking. Out of curiosity he walked over to the expensive section. He exhaled when he saw the priciest option. £5,750. The ring was gorgeous but it would take him a lifetime to save up for it. He quickly walked back to the more affordable options. "Affordable" when looking for an engagement ring generally still meant a few hundred more than he had. He scanned the prices; £750, £600, £500...

And then a price caught his eye. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief and looked at the ring. It was beautiful. It had a fair sized diamond in the centre and the band was encrusted with smaller diamonds. It was simple, but elegant. And it was only £149. He could afford that. He had the money for that in his wallet right now. He turned to the sales assistant. "Excuse me?"

The assistant smiled and walked over. "Yes sir?"

"Am I reading is right? This ring," he pointed down to it, "is only £149?"

"Indeed sir. We stock rings of all prices here. We believe it to be fair that everyone should be able to buy a ring that is of excellent quality regardless of their price range. Would you care to have a closer look at this particular ring, sir?"

Callum nodded. "Yes please."

The assistant smiled. "Wonderful."

He walked around to the back of the counter and produced a small key which he used to open it. He deftly removed the cushion that held the ring that Callum had been looking at. He handed it to him. "This is the Elegant Duchess engagement ring with Shoulder Accents. As you can see, the centre piece is a stunning diamond and the shoulders are decorated by a dozen smaller stones in a channel setting, six on each side. This ring would look beautiful on anyone's finger, sir."

Callum studied the ring with a smile. "I agree. I'll take it."

The assistant smiled. "A marvellous choice, sir."

He boxed and bagged the ring as Callum thought through all the different ways he could propose. He barely acknowledged being handed the bag. "Oh! Sorry, I was lost in thought."

"It's quite alright sir. Thank you for shopping with us."

"And thank you for having a ring I could afford."

The assistant smiled. "I'm delighted you were able to find the perfect one."

With a final nod and goodbye, Callum left the shop and got back into the car. He knew Boo was at home in Waterloo so he decided to go and show Stephen the ring. He turned the car towards Goodwin's Court and was there in 10 minutes. He entered the building and climbed the stairs. He called to them halfway up. "If you're doing anything, stop cause I'm here now!" He opened the flat door. Stephen was walking out of the kitchen.

"We weren't doing anything," he said with a smile.

Callum nodded approvingly. "Where's Rory?"

"She's trying on some new tops upstairs. Her other ones don't fit her anymore. She managed to make them fit for a while but the bumps too big now. She had to give up."

"How far gone is she now?"

"Five and a half months."

"Do you know the sex yet?"

"Well, we had our second scan a couple of weeks ago and we could've found out then but we've decided to wait until it's born to find out. We want to be surprised."

Callum nodded again with a smile. "Look."

He opened the bag and pulled out the jewellery box. He opened it to show Stephen the ring. Stephen grinned. "Callum, it's gorgeous. She's going to love it."

"I hope so."

"Well, I certainly hope you're not proposing to my husband," a familiar American accent called from the second set of stairs. Rory descended the stairs with a giggle and Callum smiled at her and the baby bump she was sporting. "Because I've already bagged him."

Callum chuckled. "You can keep him. It's for Boo."

Rory smiled and feigned surprise. Stephen had told her Callum was planning to propose. "Oh my god! That's brilliant."

Callum raised an eyebrow at her. "You already knew didn't you?"

Rory sighed with a smile. "Yeah, Stephen told me a while ago. Can I see the ring?"

Callum smiled. "Course, sis."

He handed her the box. She looked at it adoringly. "Its lovely."

"I think so too. It's simple but elegant. And all I could afford."

"Hey," Stephen said, "it doesn't matter how much you paid for it. All that matters is the sentiment. You want to marry her. This ring proves it. That's more important than how much it cost."

Callum nodded. "That's true."

"So," Rory said, "when do you plan to propose?"

"After I ask her parents for permission. But they're in Mumbai and I have no idea when they'll be back."

"You could ask Boo," Stephen said. "She'll know."

"Yeah, and she'll also wonder why I asked."

"You could just drop it into conversation," Rory suggested. "Like, 'so, how's your parents? Are they enjoying Mumbai?' That kind of thing."

Callum nodded his head thoughtfully. "Yeah, that could work. Thanks Ror." He smiled at her as she handed the box back.

"Anyway," Stephen said, "you can't rush these things. It took me weeks to work up the courage to propose. But, I'll promise you one thing."

"What's that?"

Stephen walked over to Rory and out his arm around her. "It'll be worth it."


	11. Kick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rory and Stephen are excited when the baby kicks for the first time.

Stephen had been out shopping for Rory. He had made her a cup of green tea the week before and she had thrown up. It was clear that that craving was over. It had been replaced by a new one. He was lucky, he guessed. Most pregnant women craved something maddening like ice cream on toast or chocolate on pizza. All Rory asked for was strawberry water.  _Ok_ , he had thought,  _strawberry water it is_. And now he carried the shopping home, huge bottles of strawberry water threatening the safety of the thin plastic bags. He had barely gotten through the bottom door before Rory appeared at the top of the stairs. She smiled. "Hey, do you need help with them?"

He was carrying three shopping bags full of food and water but shook his head. He could manage them even though the handles were about to snap. And there was no way he was letting his pregnant wife carry this much weight, especially since she was six months gone. He set them down on the floor so that he could shut the door. Then he let himself fall against it as he blew air from his mouth. He smiled back at her tiredly. "No, sweetheart. I've got it."

He bent down and picked up the bags again, silently praying that he could get the bags upstairs and into the kitchen before the bottom gave way and everything fell out. She looked at him questioningly. "Really?"

"I've carried heavier. It's just the bags. I think they're about to break."

"Well then, you'd better hurry up and put them away." She giggled.

He laughed at her and comically ran up the stairs and Rory laughed as he charged into the kitchen, setting the bags on the counter. He turned around with a triumphant grin. "Success."

Rory leant in the doorway with her arms folded and smiling. "Well done my big, strong - ooh." Her face twisted with confusion as she placed a hand on her bump.

Stephen became immediately alert, worry clouding his mind. Was she hurt? Was the baby ok? "Sweetheart? What's wrong?"

"I don't know," she said slowly. "I just felt a - whoa."

Stephen took a step towards her and she looked up at him, realisation dawning on her face. Her mouth dropped open and formed a smile. "Stephen," she whispered. "The baby. It's kicking."

"What?" Stephens worry disappeared and was replaced by happy surprise as he rushed over, a grin on his face. "Are you sure?"

"I think so," she replied, taking his hand and placing it on her bump. They both stood expectantly for a few seconds. Then the baby kicked again. Stephen laughed and waited for another one. It kicked again, right underneath Stephens hand. He bit his lip. Rory looked up from her bump to him. "I think our baby is saying hello."

He chuckled, giving the bump a gentle rub. "Hello, little one. I can't wait to meet you."

The baby kicked again. They both laughed. "I think he or she can't wait to meet you either."

He smiled at her and kissed her gently. "Oh my god," he said. "This is amazing."

The baby kicked again and Rory laughed. "Well, it's certainly lively."

"I think," he said in a baby voice to the bump, "Uncle Callum is going to have to teach you how to play football."

Rory watched him lovingly as he talked to her bump and giggled when the baby kicked in response. Stephen looked back up to Rory. "Definitely a footballer."

She smiled at him widely. "Just promise me one thing."

"Anything."

"Promise me our child will never be subjected to the horror that is hockey."

Stephen laughed and pulled her into a hug. "I promise. Hockey is a thing that shall never plague our baby."

She laughed and pulled him into another kiss. "Y'know," he said when he broke it, "I still can't believe how lucky I am."


	12. Losing hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A gas leak causes an explosion in West London. After Rory, Boo and Thorpe learn that Stephen, Callum and Freddie were possibly near the explosion, they desperately try to contact them. Note: Another time jump of a month.

The day had started normally. Boo had woken up to find Callum already gone. He'd left a note telling her that he, Stephen and Freddie were out on a call. He'd left an address. It was somewhere in West London. So she had gotten showered, dressed and made her way to Goodwin's Court to see Rory. Thorpe was there too. He had a few spare minutes so he had dropped in for a cup of tea and to see how Rory was. The office tv was on. BBC news played on mute. Boo greeted them happily, made a cup of tea for herself and sat down on the couch. She had asked Rory if Stephen had also left a note telling her where he went. She replied that she was already awake when Callum and Freddie had come round for Stephen and he'd given her some address in West London. Boo confirmed that Callum had left the same address. They would probably be back in an hour. Yes, the day had started normally. Well, as normally as it could when you're a shade.

But then, as it so often did, everything went wrong.

Boo stood to look at something on the shelf. She saw the tv and froze. Rory and Thorpe were deep in conversation on the couch. Where Boo stood, she blocked the tv from their view which was probably merciful. Her blood had gone cold, her heart pounded in her chest and her lungs seemed to refuse entry to the air around her. The news was still on. The red banner had four words on it. Four words that had driven an icy stake through her heart; EXPLOSION IN WEST LONDON. She took a deep breath. West London was a large place. West London had lots of boroughs. But an explosion was a large thing. It could cover a distance. The tiny little red banner under the large one covered more information. She scanned for critical points. Explosion...West London...gas leak...several casualties...Hammersmith and Fulham...

 _No_ , she thought, her lip quivering, eyes watering.  _Please no_. Hammersmith and Fulham. That's where Stephen, Callum and Freddie had gone. And now the large red banner had changed. It was more specific; EXPLOSION IN HAMMERSMITH AND FULHAM. She heard the couch creak as someone stood. And then she heard the mug drop to the floor and smash. And then she heard the scream.

It was bloodcurdling. It was fear, pain, grief, anger, disbelief. It was a plea, a desperate cry for it not to be true. She wheeled around when she heard it and saw Rory and Thorpe on their feet. Rory had her hands over her mouth. Her eyes were wide with fear and wet with tears as she stared at the screen. She was shaking her head gently. Boo knew she was reading the information rolling along the bottom. She looked to Thorpe, silently asking what she should do. He had his hand on Rory's shoulder. "Get them on the phone," he said. "Now." She nodded quickly and pulled out her phone. Then, without removing her hands from her mouth, Rory screamed again. And she didn't stop. She bent over double, nearly falling to the floor. The only thing that stopped her collapsing completely was Thorpe. He caught her quickly and stood her upright, holding her steady. Boo's heart broke.

For Rory's sake, she tried Stephen first. If she could just get through to him, get his voice on the phone, she could reassure Rory. She watched Thorpe try to take control of the situation. Her scream had dissolved into desperate cries, her whole body heaving. She begged, she cried, she begged again. Then she screamed some more. Boo couldn't imagine what she was going through. Yes, Callum was out there too, and she was terrified, but she wasn't married to him, wasn't seven months pregnant with his child. She could barely hold it together  _now_. If he  _was_  her husband and father to her unborn child, she would've broken by now. Like Rory had. She found herself wondering if she would ever have the chance to have those things with Callum. Or if it was too late.

She watched as Thorpe guided Rory to a couch as she dialled Stephens number. One ring, two rings, three rings, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten and then that stupid, automated voice. " _We're sorry. The number you are trying to reach is not available at this time_."

She angrily ended the call and redialled. Thorpe was desperately trying to calm Rory down. They heard sirens go down the main street, ambulances likely on their way to the scene of the explosion. That made Rory scream some more. Thorpe took her shoulders in his hands. He spoke firmly and as calmly as he could. "Rory, I need you calm down. Think of the baby. You need to think of the baby. If you don't calm down, you'll hurt yourself and your child. For the sake of your baby, Rory,  _breathe_." She looked at him and clenched her jaw to keep from sobbing. But the sobs she suppressed tore through her body and she shook. And then she wept. It was quiet. Almost as if the fight had left her and she had given up. Stephens phone rang off again, so Boo tried Callum. Rory cuddled into Thorpe and he offered whatever reassurance he could. He looked over to Boo and raised his eyebrows, silently asking if she was having any luck. As Callums number rang off the same way Stephens had done, a tear slipped down her cheek and she shook her head. She paced the floor as she redialled her boyfriends number. It rang off again. She sniffed and dialled Freddie's number. This was the last chance she had of getting through to them. If Freddie didn't answer, then there was no way of knowing where they were. Or if they were alive. They had to be alive. They  _had_  to be. But why didn't they answer? Unless...

She bit her lip and dismissed the possibility from her mind. They couldn't lose hope. She looked back to the screen and saw news footage of the street. The place was decimated. She couldn't bear it. She turned it off violently. She prayed for Freddie to answer her phone but with each little ring-ring, her hopes dwindled. " _We're sorry. The number you are trying to reach is not available at this time_." She tried again. " _We're sorry. The number you are trying to reach is not available at this time._ "

She didn't cry. She didn't scream. She just calmly removed the phone from her ear and set it down on the table before walking over to the couch. She gently motioned her head to Thorpe and he moved, gently letting go of the still sobbing Rory. Wordlessly, calm as water, Boo sat next to her and wrapped her arms around her pulling her close. She needed calm. She needed quiet. They both did. The baby did. She whispered, trying to reassure Rory. Trying to reassure herself. "It's alright, yeah? It's gonna be alright."

Rory's weeping stopped. Boo gently pulled back and saw Rory staring at the floor. She waved her hand in front of her but got no response. She looked to Thorpe confused. Thorpe edged nearer. "I think she's in shock. She's switched off. She'll be ok. She's not screaming anymore. At least this way the baby's a bit safer. We need to keep her as calm as possible. Stress is harmful to the baby, especially at this late stage."

Boo nodded and stood. She picked up her phone from the table. "I'm going to phone Jazza and Jerome. Rory needs more people here to help her if..." Her voice caught. She couldn't say the words. She inhaled deeply. "If we get any news..." She looked at Thorpe, praying he understood what she had meant without her having to say the words. He nodded solemnly and she walked into the small kitchen, dialling Jazzas number on the way. She closed the door behind her.

"Hello?" Jazzas voice was shaky.

"Hey Jaz."

"Hey Boo. What's up?"

"Em...quite a lot actually." She fought the tears. "Are you ok, love? You sound shaky."

"Yeah. Just had a bit of a shock. There was an explosion in Hammersmith. I work on the street over from where it happened. I was due to go in in an hour. Works phoned though. Everyone's got a paid week off while they clean up."

Boo sobbed. "Thank god you weren't there too."

"Too?"

Boo's lip quivered and she sobbed again. "Stephen, Callum and Freddie had to go to Hammersmith this morning. They aren't back yet and we can't get through to them."

There was a quiet gasp on the other end of the phone. "Oh my god..."

Boo's voice was shaking now as she spoke through the tears she tried hard to suppress. "I phoned because...well I was wondering if you and Jerome could come over to Goodwin's Court? I just think that Rory should have more people around her in case...in case we get bad news."

She heard Jazza sniff on the other end. "Of course. We'll be right there."

"Thanks love. See you in a bit." She hung up the phone and went back through to the office. Rory still sat quietly, transfixed by the table. Boo rubbed her shoulder and began pacing the room. Thorpe sat on an armchair glancing between Rory and Boo. He checked his phone for calls. Boo checked hers and Rory's. Nothing. No one was trying to phone them. And that is how they stayed for 10 minutes until the front door opened. "Hello?" Jazzas voice. They were here. Rory turned her head slowly to the office door and watched as Jazza and Jerome walked in. Jazza was red eyed. Jerome was wringing his hands. He smiled to Rory gently, sadly, and she attempted one back. Jazza came across the room to Boo. "Have you heard from them yet?" Boo looked into Jazzas bloodshot eyes and wished she could say yes, they just called, they're safe and on their way back. But she couldn't. Instead, she just shook her head softly. Jazza rubbed her shoulder. "I'm sure they're fine."

Boo attempted a smile. "Yeah, you're probably right." She hugged Jazza. Sweet Jazza. Perhaps she could make it better. Over Jazzas shoulder, she watched as Rory stood up slowly and walked calmly over to Jerome, wrapping her arms around his middle. Boo pulled back and motioned for Jazza to look. They both smiled gently as Rory sought comfort from Jerome. He gave as much comfort as he could. He held her close and let her hold onto him, knowing that she needed to hold onto something. He also held her steady because it felt to him like she was unsteady on her feet and allowing his heavily pregnant best friend to crumple to the ground was not something he was prepared to do. He tried to reassure her but his voice was uncertain. "It'll be ok. Listen, Hammersmith and Fulhams a big place. They probably weren't near the..." He looked for a gentle way to say the explosion but here wasn't one. So he didn't say anything. He just rubbed her back. She nodded against him gently and Boo could tell that she didn't believe him but was grateful that he had tried. Boo sighed. "I'll make some tea."

She walked into the kitchen with her phone, shutting the door behind her again. She put the kettle on. She put her phone on speaker and set it down on the counter. She dialled Stephens number and counted the rings as she got mugs from the cupboard. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. " _We're sorry. The number you are trying to reach is not available at this time._ "

She calmly ended the call and dialled Callums number as she placed the teabags in the mugs. She walked to the fridge to get the milk as she counted the rings. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. " _We're sorry. The number you are trying to reach is not available at this time_."

She calmly ended the call and dialled Freddie's number as the kettle boiled. She lifted it from the base and poured the water and then the milk. She stirred the tea as she counted the rings. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. " _We're sorry. The number you are trying to reach is not available at this time._ "

She ended the call and leant against the counter for support. She threw the spoon into the sink violently as she sank to the ground weeping. This wasn't fair. Just when everything was going to be ok, this happened. Freddie couldn't be dead. She was too sweet, too kind, so full of life and loving it. Callum couldn't be dead. He was the one she had loved for years. She needed him like she needed to breathe. Stephen couldn't be dead. Not again. Not now that he was happy and going to be a father. She thought about how excited he had been but would he ever meet his child? Would his child ever know their father?

The injustice of it angered her and she sobbed. She reached up to the counter and got her phone, pulling it down to the floor. She tried each number again only to hear that cursed automated message. " _We're sorry. The number you are trying to reach is not available at this time._ "

She cuddled up into a ball and wept. She didn't even acknowledge the kitchen door opening. Jazza crept in quietly and sat down on the floor by Boo. She put an arm around her shoulder. Boo raised her head gently and smiled weakly. "You're sweet love, but Rory needs you more."

"Jerome's with Rory. You need someone too."

Boo sniffed and cuddled closer. "Thank you Jaz."

"I'm sure it'll be ok. Jerome's right. Hammersmith and Fulhams a big place. Likelihood is they were no where near the street it happened on." Her voice, like Jerome's had been, was uncertain.

"But if they're ok, why don't they answer their phones? Or come home?"

Jazza looked at Boo sadly. "I don't know. What time did they leave?"

"Early. They should've been back by now."

Jazza picked up Boo's phone with her spare hand and went into the history. She pressed Stephen's number and they waited. Nothing but the automated voice. Callum's number was the same and so was Freddie's. Boo wept gently again and this time Jazza joined her.


	13. Myriad of Emotions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An hour after the blast in West London, Rory, Boo and Thorpe still wait for news.

No one said a word.

The tv was on again. Thorpe wasn't sure when it had gone on. But it was on. It had been an hour since the blast and the news was showing the street and everybody on it. Firefighters, police, paramedics... Thorpe found himself hoping to see Stephen, Callum and Freddie among the police, offering their help. But he didn't. Jazza and Jerome helped where they could. Jerome had noticed the smashed mug which had been dropped by Rory when she saw the news. He found a shovel and dustpan and cleared it away. Jazza had gone over to the shop for Rory because she had wanted strawberry water, her craving as of late.

Rory had wandered the office. Then she had left it and gone upstairs. Then she had come back down. It was aimless wandering, her mind trying to give her something to do other than sit and think about what had happened. But she sat again and thought. She was restless though. Not restless in the fidgety sense but she would keep moving now and again. She sat for a while with her hands on her lap. Then she raised one to the heart pendant around her neck. Then it went back to her lap. Occasionally, one would rest on her bump. Then go back to her lap. Now she had been still for quarter of an hour.

Thorpe, like Boo, had tried calling each of them several times but to no avail. He was sick of hearing the automated message on the other end of the phone. If he heard it once more, he may well scream. He continued to sit on the armchair and watched as Jazza and Jerome comforted Rory on the couch. Countless mugs littered the table with half drunk, cold tea. "I've made so much tea, we're out of teabags," Boo said from the corner. Her voice was soft, almost as if she was on automatic.

"There's more in our kitchen," Rory said, but it was monotone, and she was not really with them.

Boo nodded and plucked out her phone. Thorpe looked over to her. "I'll try again up there," she said to him quietly. He nodded and watched as she skirted around the couch and out of the office. Her footsteps disappeared upstairs and then it was just him, Rory, Jerome, Jazza and the tv. Rory was calm now, but distant, and he knew she had shut herself off in a desperate bid not to feel the situation at hand. It may well have been that she just couldn't cope with the possibility of losing Stephen again. It may have been that she stopped feeling so that she could protect her baby from stress. It was likely both. Whenever she did speak, it was robotic and sounded like she was thinking out loud rather than actually talking to anyone. "This baby may be the last thing I have of him," she'd said a few minutes before. And that had hit Thorpe hard.

It was clear that Rory thought that Stephen might be gone. And she was heavily pregnant with the child he may never meet. It was clear that she thought it possible that the baby she carried was the last thing of Stephen Dene in her life. What if Stephen was gone? What if she had a son? What if that son looked like Stephen? Would it hurt her if her child was a reflection of the husband she had lost? Or would it be a relief? He felt the pain for her. He'd stood without a word, rubbed her shoulder, walked into the kitchen and let out the tears he'd been holding back. Then he went back to his armchair, sniffing and red eyed, but no one had said anything about it. He found himself wondering what would happen next if the worst  _had_  occurred and they'd just lost three of the squad. He again found himself wondering what would happen to Rory. He made a promise to himself, there and then, that he'd look after her and the baby no matter how much time, effort or money their care took. But he was unsure if she would actually be able to cope. Perhaps he could set up a separate bank account for her and the baby. He could pay a weekly sum into it to make sure she could live comfortably while she juggled her grief and her newborn. Those two words should never be used together. But he'd used them. He begged that his plans would not be necessary, that Stephen, Callum and Freddie would come home, but he liked to have backup plans.

His mind drifted in this direction for some time, away from the situation and onto whatever the hell the future held until a large pounding outside of the office caught the attention of them all. They all heard Boo's footsteps descend the stairs again but this time she was running. She burst into the office, phone glued to her ear. They all looked at her, surprised by her sudden entrance.

"I've got Stephen on the phone!"

Everyone immediately became alert, no one more so than Rory. She spoke quickly, so quick that neither her breath nor her voice could keep up with her. "What? Where is he? Is he ok? Is he there?" She was on her feet and approaching Boo.

"H-hang on Stephen. I'm gonna put you on speaker." Boo was laughing and crying at the same time. "Ok, go ahead."

"We're fine," his voice came through the phone. It was tinny and a little muffled, but it was his and everyone in the room had never been so grateful to hear it. Thorpe had to steady Rory because she had nearly fallen from relief. "We're all fine. We're weren't near the explosion."

Rory sobbed. "Stephen?"

"I'm here darling. I'm ok. We all are."

"Why haven't you come home?"

"We're trying to sweetheart. But the traffic coming in and out of Hammersmith is crazy. The emergency services are trying to get in while civilians are trying to get out. It's Bedlam. We've been stuck for an hour. We've tried to phone you all several times but the phone lines are jammed. The emergency frequencies have been set up. It's been blocking the calls."

Boo looked to Rory and she looked back. So that was why they couldn't get through. Thorpe sighed with relief.  _Thank god_. He smiled as Rory continued, relief evident in her voice.

"We've been trying to call you all as well. I thought...I thought..." She sobbed again.

His voice was sad. "I know darling. But I'm ok. I promise. I'll be home to you as soon as possible."

"Stephen?" Boo asked. "Are Callum and Freddie there?"

"Yes," he replied. "Hold on...ok, you're on speaker."

"Callum?" She asked through the phone.

"I'm here Boo. I'm ok."

"Oh thank god. Freddie?"

Freddie's voice came through then. "I'm good."

"Thank god someone managed to get through," Callum said. "We've been panicking about Rory for an hour."

"Panicking? About me?" She replied, trying to steady her voice.

"Yes," Stephen said quietly, "about you. We figured that you, that all of you, would panic and I didn't want you to be afraid and hurt yourself or the baby."

"Well then," she said, "you have Thorpe to thank for that. He's the one that calmed me down."

Thorpe looked over to her and she smiled at him gratefully.

"Thank you Thorpe," Stephen said, and Thorpe could hear the gratitude in his voice.

Thorpe wiped away a few tears of his own, running his hands through his hair and nodding gratefully. "You're welcome. Listen," he said to the people in the car, "just get yourselves home. It's doesn't matter how long it takes. We know you're ok now and we'll be waiting for you."

"Understood," Stephen said. "Rory?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you. I  _really_  love you. I know you probably thought you'd never hear me say that again. But I'm here, I'm safe, I'm on my way back to you and  _I love you_."

She sobbed happily again. "I love you too."

"Boo?" Callum called down the phone.

"Yeah?"

"I know it seems like I'm copying but I love you too."

She and Rory laughed and they were both sure they heard Stephen laugh too.

"I love you too."

"And Freddie?" Rory said.

"Yeah?"

"We all love you too."

Freddie laughed. "Love you guys."

"Ok," Stephen said. "It looks like the traffics starting to move. I have to hang up. I don't know if you'll be able to get through to me again but if you don't, we'll hopefully see you soon."

"Just as long as we do see you," Boo said, "it doesn't matter how long it takes."

With a few final goodbyes, the call was ended.

Rory collapsed onto the couch, sobbing thankfully. "They're ok," she whispered through her tears. "They're ok, thank god, they're ok." Jerome put his arms around her and whispered. "See? I told you, love." She laughed and sobbed and coughed at once and let herself cuddle up to him. Jazza hugged Boo while Thorpe switched the tv off once more. Then he collapsed into his armchair and laughed in relief.

* * *

 

Rory sat on the bottom of the stairs watching the door. It had been half an hour since they had phoned and she prayed that they would all be home soon. It was a relief knowing that they were ok but she really wanted to see them. Just see them back here, safe and unharmed. The office door was open and she spoke through to the people in there. Jerome, Jazza or Boo often came to lean on the doorframe so that they were closer to her. She could see Thorpe still in his armchair. It looked like he'd fallen asleep. Shock, it does that. He could relax now that he knew they were safe. But she wanted to see them. She heard footsteps coming down the cobble path outside and muffled voices. She sat up more alert. That voice sounded like Callum. Then she heard Freddie laugh. "They're back!" She called into the office. Thorpe roused himself and stood while the others came to the office door. Rory stood up and stayed on the bottom step.

The door opened and Freddie came in first. She smiled at them all. "Hey guys." She walked towards the office, passing the stairs as she did so. Rory took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze on the way past. It was accompanied by a warm smile. Callum came through the door next, smiled to Rory, spied Boo and ran over to her. "Boo!"

"Callum..." She said it almost as if she couldn't believe it. He was safe.

Callum scooped Boo into a hug that seemed endless, countless whispers of "I love you" and "thank god you're home" filling the office doorway. Rory turned her attention back to the front door.

And there he was. He had never looked so beautiful.

Stephen came in last and he had barely shut the door before Rory flung her arms around him and sobbed against his shoulder, holding him as tightly as she possibly could. Before he could react, she had pulled back and pressed her lips onto his.  _The others be damned,_  she thought. She needed to kiss him more than she needed to breathe. She needed to feel his lips on hers, his soft, warm lips full of life. His initial shock wore off instantly and his mouth moved against hers gently. Despite it going no deeper than their lips locking together, it was one of the most passionate kisses they had ever shared. It didn't look like that to the outside world. To the others, it was a simple soft kiss, gentle and slow. But to Stephen and Rory, it was relief, love and gratitude overflowing into physical action. It was everything Rory thought she would never do again, it was every feeling of love she had for him, it was every ounce of relief her body could hold, it was every single moment in which she would be grateful that he was alive. It was every reassurance Stephen couldn't give because of the jammed phone lines, it was every moment of panic knowing that she would be terrified for him, it was every single way he could think of to tell her that he was fine, that everything was ok. And it all happened in that one soft kiss.

Stephen broke it gently before giving her a quicker kiss. And then it became a string of kisses before they finally stopped. She wrapped her arms around his middle and he held her as close as possible. Neither one of them said a word. There were no words needed. They heard the others talking in the office but right now, all she needed was him. "I thought I'd lost you," she whispered and she felt his arms tighten around her.

"No," he whispered back, "you could never truly lose me."

She sniffed as she held him close, turning her body sideways so that she could get closer still, her head resting against his chest. She listened to the steady beating of his heart as his hand ran through her hair and he placed small kisses on her head.

Thorpe came to the doorway of the office and watched them. He didn't say a word, didn't interrupt. He just watched them holding onto each other for dear life before smiling gently and walking back into the office.


	14. Nursery Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The spare room is finally turned into a nursery.

They had decided on purple.

Since they didn't know the sex of the baby, they decided to go for a neutral colour. They had considered lemon, beige, white, and pale green before they finally decided on purple. Rory thought it was a nice idea since it was a mix between the traditional blue and pink. Plus, Stephen felt that purple had more character to it than lemon or beige. So they went with purple. Not a bright purple. That was too harsh for a nursery. They had decided on a nice, soft, pale shade of light purple.

They didn't let Rory near the room while they painted the walls. None of them felt alright about having an eight month pregnant woman in the same room as strong paint vapours. She didn't complain. Being this heavily pregnant wasn't comfortable or fun and she didn't mind staying in the living room watching tv and occasionally making cups of tea for the others upstairs.

The spare room -  _the nursery_ , she corrected herself with a smile - was still empty apart from the carpet so the only sheets they needed were a couple to cover the white carpet they'd laid. The furniture they had for the room still sat in their bedroom, ready to be assembled and placed. They had a cot, a mobile, some teddies and a rocking chair. They also had a pram and a highchair put away ready for use and a car seat for when they brought the baby home.

She looked at the calendar. It was early August and their baby was due in a month. September 4th. She placed her hand on the very large bump and smiled gently. She let her head fall back against the couch and closed her eyes. She didn't mean to doze off but when she opened her eyes again, the clock showed that it was three hours later. She also registered that there was an extra hand on her bump. She smiled and turned her head to Stephen. He smiled at her and have her a small kiss. "I have a surprise for you," he whispered.

She raised her eyebrows as he stood and held out his hand. She smiled and took it, and he gently pulled her up. She yawned. "I can't believe I've slept for three hours."

He smiled. "Well, you did have a restless sleep last night."

"I just couldn't get comfortable. It's difficult to when you're this huge."

Stephen chuckled. She yawned again. Stephen squeezed her hand. "Callum, Boo and Freddie went home about ten minutes ago. They didn't want to disturb you so they told me to say bye for them."

"Oh," she said a little disappointedly. "I didn't thank them."

"Well you'll see them tomorrow."

She smiled. "True."

They reached the stairs and he went ahead of her. When they reached the top, he stood by the door with his hand on the handle. He smiled at her. "Close your eyes."

She raised an eyebrow at him and then shut her eyes. He opened the door to the nursery and scooted around behind her. He placed his hands over her eyes and gently walked her forward. "No peeking."

She giggled as she stepped into the room. She felt him take a deep breath behind her. "Ok, are you ready?"

"Yes..."

He took his hands from eyes. "Ok...open them."

She opened her eyes and gasped. The room had been transformed. The plain walls were now a beautiful shade of purple that went nicely with the white carpet. The small window now had white curtains with teddy bears hanging from it. Stephen had spent the last couple of hours assembling the furniture with the help of the others. The cot stood in the middle of the room. It was large and white and the mobile they had bought hung above it. The rocking chair sat near it, ready for endless nights of midnight feeding. The teddies they had for the baby sat on small sets of drawers and on shelves that she didn't even know he had bought. One of them sat in the cot. The pram, highchair and car seat sat neatly in the corner waiting to be used.

She walked slowly to the centre of the room and placed her hands on the cot, gazing down into it. Stephen approached her slowly. "What do you think?"

She looked over her shoulder and grinned. Her eyes had tears in them. "It's perfect." She turned her head back to the cot. "Just think Stephen. In one month, this cot will have our baby in it."

He stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her middle, resting his hands on her bump. They both felt the baby kick. They both chuckled. He kissed her cheek from behind as he closed his eyes. "I can't think of anything that makes me happier."

She smiled as she placed her hands on his and let her head fall back against his chest. "Me neither."


	15. Overdue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rory's due date comes and goes with no baby

August passed by quickly. Rory and Stephen were counting the days now. They had been to visit their doctor and she had explained to them both what would happen in the following month. They had done every single bit of last minute baby shopping they could think off. They had clothes of every possible size in a pretty light lemon colour ready for their baby. Rory had asked Stephen if he definitely wanted her to be the one to name the baby. When he had said yes, she assured him that she would like the names she'd picked.

And then August finished and September began. Thorpe had offered to be the one to drive them to the hospital. He had an unmarked car that could break the speed limit and run lights if necessary and the police couldn't touch him. He was also a damn good driver so they'd still be completely safe. He would get her to the hospital the fastest. They'd agreed and he told them to phone him when she went into labour whatever time that may be, day or night. They both became a weird mixture of nerves, anxiety and excitement. She was due to give birth on the 4th. It was nearly time. Soon, they would have their baby. On the night of the 3rd, they had stayed awake talking for most of the night, trying to figure out what to expect the next day. They would be parents. They laughed, they cried, they kissed.

All through the 4th, Rory tried to figure out what she should expect. She'd never been pregnant before. All she knew was what she saw from movies and they always involved labour hitting the woman at the most inopportune times; out shopping, at a party or even, swear to God, on a beach. She couldn't remember whatever hell movie that was, but she had seen it and it certainly hadn't looked like a good idea. So she decided to stay in the house. At least that made more sense. And yet, it felt to her that nothing would happen that day. She just had that inkling. And she was right. When night came around with no baby, she and Stephen phoned their doctor. The doctor assured them not to worry, that many women didn't give birth on their due dates, that most babies were late and only 4% of babies are actually born on the due date and that, if Rory hadn't given birth in two weeks, she would be induced. Stephen had nodded and Rory had to ask what that meant. Basically, they would force the labour to start. She found it a little amusing that they would force the baby to leave its home of nine months. They were going to smoke it out.

As the days wore on with no baby, Rory started to get more and more uncomfortable. She couldn't sit for more than five minutes before needing the bathroom. It seemed that the baby thought her bladder was a squeeze toy. She could never get a comfortable nights sleep which made her irritable. Add that to the raging pregnancy hormones and that equalled a very emotional Rory. One minute she would snap at Stephen for nothing at all and the next, she would cry because she'd put her slippers on the wrong feet and she'd forgotten to buy a chocolate bar and because she'd feel terrible for yelling at Stephen when he hadn't even done anything. She'd been like this for a lot of her pregnancy, but it was amplified now because she wanted the bump gone and the baby in her arms. Stephen never took her mini tantrums personally. He knew it was the pregnancy. He would just smile at her warmly and offer her a cushion or a drink or a foot rub. Sometimes she would take all three and reassure him that she loved him. He would tell her that he knew that and that he loved her too. Then they would kiss and everything would be ok again.

And so they stayed like that with Rory assuring herself that she had Stephen would have their baby in their arms no later than the 18th. So they waited.

And waited.

And waited.


	16. Proposal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callum finally proposes and Rory has an announcement for everyone

Callum was nervous. Of course he was nervous. He was finally going to propose. He had asked her parents when they came home a fortnight ago. They'd been delighted. Then he'd had to figure out where and when. And he had tried several options but each of them had ended with Callum backing out. He had taken her to a restaurant but instead of asking her to marry him, he asked if she would like more wine. He had taken her on a leisurely stroll through Hyde Park and when they were in a beautiful, quiet spot, he tried again. But he lost his nerve halfway through and had instead asked her to go to the cinema with him. It went on in this vein for some time so Stephen had suggested that they have a get together at Goodwin's Court and then Stephen and Rory could make sure he proposed. No backing out, no losing his nerves.

So now they all sat gathered in the living room of Goodwin's Court. It was September 16th. Boo and Freddie chatted away while Rory and Stephen watched Callum carefully. Callum was fidgeting, fiddling with the box in his pocket. Whenever he decided that it was a good moment, he made cup of tea instead. After his sixth cup of tea, Stephen followed him through to the kitchen while the girls talked about the impending baby. It couldn't be long now. She was a week and a half overdue and if she didn't go into labour naturally in the next two days, she would be induced.

Callum stood by the counter watching the kettle boil. Stephen stopped next to him. "I've never seen you drink so much tea in your life."

Callum chuckled to himself. "That's cause I never have." He groaned and turned to Stephen. "Why can't I just ask her?"

"Because you're worried. Or afraid. Or both."

"But of what? I  _want_  to marry her. I'm not afraid of marrying her."

"You're afraid she won't want to marry you. You're afraid to hear her say the word no because every dream you've built will shatter. I know, trust me. I was terrified of asking Rory."

Callum looked at Stephen for a minute before dropping his eyes to the floor. "You're right. But surely you knew deep down that Rory would marry you?"

Stephen shook his head gently. "No, I didn't. When I asked, all I knew was that she loved me and wanted to be with me. But I didn't know how she would react to actually being married to me. What if things went wrong? Breaking up is easier, quicker and cheaper than a divorce. Perhaps she didn't want that responsibility." He smiled to himself. "Fortunately for me, that was exactly want she wanted. She wanted to be my wife and I'm sure Boo will want to be yours."

Stephen put a hand on Callums shoulder. "It'll be ok. I'm positive she'll say yes."

"How positive?" Callum replied.

Stephen shrugged his shoulders with a smile. "I think I'll play it safe with a 95%."

Callum scoffed with a smile. "Yeah, cheers mate."

Stephen chuckled. "Seriously though, it'll be ok. Just go back in there and the next time you feel it's a good moment, do it. Forget about the rest of us. Just tell her how you feel."

Callum sighed. "You really think I can do this?"

"I really do." Stephen smiled at him warmly.

* * *

The conversation about the baby was still going on when they came back to the living room. Rory and Freddie sat on one couch while Boo sat on another. When Stephen and Callum came back with more teas, Stephen threw Rory a quick little nod, telling her that Callum was going to propose soon. She nodded back with a smile. The teas were put on the table and Callum took his place on the couch beside Boo. Stephen sat on the floor at Rory's feet.

As everyone drank their teas, the conversation lulled. Callum looked across at Stephen and nodded. Stephen smiled back. Callum put his mug on the table and put his hand in his pocket. The ring sat ready. He took a deep breath.  _This is it_ , he thought.  _It has to be_.  _If I don't do it now, I'll never do it._

"Boo?"

She quickly swallowed her tea, put the mug down and looked at him with a smile. "Yeah?"

Callum could feel everyone's eyes on him. He took another deep breath. "Boo," he took her hands in his. "You and me, we've had our ups and downs. We've disagreed over a lot of things, we've screamed and shouted at each other and yet, here are are. We made it through all that stuff and...you make me a better person." He was fumbling, he could feel it. He cleared his throat. Boo was looking at him softly. She was so beautiful. "I remember, once, I thought we'd past the point of no return. Our friendship looked like it was over and that was my fault. I never thought we'd get past that yet alone start dating. The past few years I've had you in my life have been the happiest I've ever known. As well as the strangest but, hey, sometimes strange is good." She chuckled at him. He continued. "I want the rest of my life to be just as happy and just as strange. So, I have a question to ask you." He let go of her hands and reached into his pocket. He felt the box in his hand. "Bhuvana Chodhari," he stood from the couch and lowered to the ground in front of her. Her breath caught in her chest as he pulled out the box and opened it to reveal a beautiful ring. "Will you marry me?"

Boo's mouth fell open and Freddie let out a small squeal. Rory and Stephen smiled. "Yes," Boo said once her voice came back to her. She laughed. "Yes! Obviously!"

Callum let out the breath he'd been holding and laughed. He took the ring from the box and placed it on her finger before kneeling up and catching her lips in a kiss. Everyone cheered.

"It's about time," Rory said. "You two have known each other longer than me and Stephen have and were married and I'm ready to drop."

Boo and Callum looked around to Rory and laughed.

"This calls for something special," Stephen said. "I'll be right back."

"I'll be right back too," Rory said, pulling herself up from the couch with some difficulty. "If you would all excuse me, this baby is using my bladder as a pillow." She hugged Boo and Callum as she passed. "I'm so happy for you both."

They both smiled at her widely as she left the room. Stephen came back a couple of minutes later with a bottle of champagne, a bottle of lemonade and five glasses. "Here we are. We were saving it for when Rory gave birth but I'll probably have time to buy another bottle." He popped the cork with a laugh and poured the drinks. Four champagne and one lemonade.

"Let's wait for Ror to get back before we drink," Callum grinned.

They all nodded in agreement and hugs were exchanged. When they had all sat down again, they picked up a glass each and continued to wait for Rory. They all chatted away merrily and Boo and Callum were completely caught up in each other. None of them saw Rory come to the doorway but they heard her.

"Guys?" Rory's voice was shaking ever so slightly from the living room doorway. Everyone turned to face her, Stephen concerned by the shake in her voice. Her hand was on her bump and she looked like she was smiling albeit nervously. "I really,  _really_  don't want to steal anyone's thunder but em..."

She looked around at their questioning faces and exhaled gently.

"My water's broke."


	17. Quest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Following Rory's announcement, everyone bands together to get her to the hospital where they await the birth of the newest member of the Dene family.

The words hung in the air for a moment. Stephen was the first one to react. "Oh god, oh god, oh god." He leapt up from the couch and turned to Rory, speaking quickly. Manically so. "Sweetheart sit down. No, actually, stay standing. Wait," he turned to the others in the room. "Should she be sitting? Or standing? What should she be doing?"

"Mate." Callum stood up with an authoritative voice. "Calm down. Breathe. Ror, love, come sit here on the couch. Boo, sit with her. Freddie, make Stephen a cup of tea."

Boo helped Rory sit on the couch with soothing whispers and held her hand while Freddie hurried to the kitchen. Stephen turned to Callum. "Tea?  _Tea?_  I don't have time for tea."

"Stephen," Callum took a hold of his shoulders, holding him firm. "I need to phone Thorpe. He's got an unmarked car that's untouchable. Remember? He's the one taking Rory to the hospital. But he needs time to get here first. So calm down and have a cup of tea. Look," he gestured to the couch. "Sit with your wife, keep her calm.  _Breathe_. Ror, how do you feel love?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Honestly? Right now? I'm fine."

Callum raised an eyebrow. Boo spoke. "Fine?"

Rory laughed. "I'm from Louisiana. I used to find alligators in my backyard. I've survived more hurricanes than you can imagine. And I've been slashed by a ghost, watched him die," - she gestured to Stephen who stood hyperventilating - "faced a cult, went into the underworld, went head to head with crazy murderous twins, not to mention all the mad shit that's happened since. Trust me, labour doesn't frighten me."

Callum nodded. "Fair enough. Right, you," he turned to Stephen. "Sit. I'll phone Thorpe."

Rory giggled to herself. "It's like a quest to get me to the hospital. Or a military operation."

Callum left the room while Rory held her hand out to Stephen who took it and sat down. Boo was rubbing her back soothingly. Stephen looked at Rory with amazement. "You really are fine, aren't you?"

She looked at him with amusement. "Well I'm better than you are."

Stephen chuckled nervously and squeezed her hand. "This is really happening isn't it?"

She smiled at him. "Yeah, it's happening. Finally."

She giggled to herself but her face contorted suddenly. "Ahhhh!" She leant forward to try and suppress the pain that she felt but it didn't abate. Boo and Stephen squeezed her hands and she faintly heard Stephen telling her to take deep breaths. She exhaled quickly but the pain still ripped through her. She breathed in deeply and very quickly realised that she was holding her breath. When the pain finally subsided, she let out the breath she'd been holding and let herself fall back against the couch. "Shit," she said weakly.

Stephen stroked her suddenly sweaty forehead. "It's ok, sweetheart. Just keep breathing."

She turned her head to smile at him gently and took deep breaths. Callum came back to the living room with Freddie who carried a cup of tea. She set it down on the table in front of Stephen. Callum looked down at Rory. "You ok? I heard you screaming."

She nodded slowly. "Contractions."

Callum nodded sympathetically. "I've called Thorpe, he's on his way. And I've called the hospital and let them know you're coming. They said Dr Jenkins will meet you there, if that means anything to you."

Stephen nodded. "Yes, she's our doctor."

"Right," Callum said. "Well, she'll meet you in the reception."

"Ok," Stephen said as another contraction took hold of Rory. She leant forward and screamed again and he placed his arms around her protectively. When it passed again, she sobbed and fell against him. "Oh my god," she wept. "I don't know if I can do this."

"You can," he whispered to her gently. "You're stronger than you think you are."

She smiled up at him softly, tears running down her cheeks and she nestled against him. "You think so?"

He kissed the top of her head. "I know so."

She sniffled against him and he felt a sob shudder through her body. "Hey, just think," he said. "Soon, this'll be over and we'll have our baby."

She squeezed his hand and laughed gently. "Finally."

As Stephen and Rory sat, Boo and Freddie watched them carefully. Callum paced the floor. They all turned their heads when they heard the bottom door open, which was quickly followed by footsteps running upstairs. Thorpe came into the room swiftly. He nodded to them all and looked down at Rory. "Right then. Shall we get you to the hospital?"

She smiled up at him gratefully. "Yes please."

He held out his hand to her with a soft smile and she took it. With Stephens help, Thorpe got Rory to her feet. As Rory stood, she could feel the pain building again. She braced herself between Thorpe and Stephen as the wave hit her. "Ahhhh!" She felt her legs weaken and Thorpe and Stephen held onto her tightly. When the contraction passed, Thorpe spoke to Stephen. "We best get moving."

Stephen nodded quickly and helped Thorpe get Rory downstairs. The others followed them out to Thorpe's car and helped Rory into the back of it. Stephen got in the back beside her.

"We'll follow in a taxi," Callum said and Thorpe nodded quickly as he climbed into the drivers seat. Boo, Callum and Freddie stood back as the black car sped off down the road, sirens on.

* * *

Thorpe got them to the hospital in expert time. In just 10 minutes, he'd driven from Goodwin's Court, pulled up right outside the entrance to the hospital and helped Rory from the car. A nurse waited by the entrance with a wheelchair for Rory and she collapsed into it gratefully. Stephen wheeled her into the reception as Thorpe went to park the car.

The waiting room was busy cause it was still just late afternoon but the reception desk was clear. The receptionist on duty smiled at them. "Good afternoon."

"Good afternoon," Stephen replied. "We phoned from our flat. Aurora and Stephen Dene?"

"Ok," she smiled at them again and checked over her notes. "Ah yes, here you are. I'll just telephone Dr Jenkins and she'll be right down to take you to the maternity ward."

Stephen nodded. "Thank you."

He wheeled Rory away from the desk so others could be seen. He looked down at her with a smile and saw that she had started crying. He put the brakes on the chair and knelt down in front of her. "Sweetheart, are you ok?"

She sniffled and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I don't know."

He took her hand in his and kissed it. He whispered. "What's the matter darling?"

She sniffled again and cleared her throat. She squeezed his hands. "I'm frightened."

"Well, I'd be worried if a first time mother wasn't frightened. But it'll be ok."

"Are you frightened?"

"I was once. But you made me realise that I could do it." He wiped away the tears from her cheeks. "Let me help you realise the same. We're in this together. Forever."

She smiled at him softly. A voice interrupted them gently. "Rory? Stephen?"

They both looked up and saw Dr Jenkins smiling at them warmly. She approached them slowly. "How are we feeling? Nervous?"

Rory chuckled to herself. "Yeah, a little."

Dr Jenkins rubbed Rory's shoulder. "You'll do great. This baby is lucky to have parents like you."

Stephen smiled as he stood and walked back around to the handles of the chair. "Thank you."

Dr Jenkins nodded to them and spoke brightly. "Come on, let's get you settled upstairs. We'll get you nice and comfortable and then check to see how far along you are."

They both smiled at her and followed her into the lift.

The maternity ward was smaller than the reception downstairs and infinitely quieter. It had a separate waiting room and multiple rooms lining the corridor. Thorpe had waited downstairs for Boo, Callum and Freddie to arrive in the taxi. Boo had told him that she'd phoned Jerome and Jazza and that they were on their way too. Thorpe nodded, asked the receptionist where the maternity ward was and went upstairs with the others. Stephen met them in the waiting room.

"Hey guys."

"Hey," Callum replied. "How's Ror?"

"Frightened, nervous, excited."

"And you?" Boo asked.

"Much the same."

"Can we see her?" Freddie asked.

"Yeah, of course. She's just in here."

He led them to a small room off the main corridor. Rory lay in the hospital bed, her clothes replaced by a hospital gown. She was drinking ice chips. She smiled at them as they came in. "Hey."

"Hey," they all replied at once.

"How are you?" Boo asked.

"Nervous as hell. Still got a while to go. I don't really understand it all but Dr Jenkins says I'm ready to give birth when I'm ten cm dilated. I'm only four. Just a waiting game now. Again."

She chuckled to herself. She was glad they were here. They kept her calm. Jazza and Jerome came by and said their hellos. The hours ticked by. They came and went, staying in the waiting room when Rory needed to rest. It was nine at night when Stephen came rushing from the room to tell them that Rory was being taken to the delivery room. They all jumped up to hug him and wish him luck and to come back to them as soon as there was news. And then he left them and went with Rory. And they waited. They chatted. They watched the minutes tick by on the clock. Jazza read one of the hospital magazines. Freddie dozed off. Boo and Callum told Thorpe, Jazza and Jerome about their engagement and they gave them their congratulations. And then they waited some more.

It was half nine when Stephen walked out into the waiting room, half in a daze, half in a dream. He walked on automatic, his feet leading him to the others. His eyes were red and he was smiling. The baby was beautiful, perfect. He had cried. Rory had cried. He had laughed. Rory had laughed, their child in their arms at last, tiny and beautiful. When the others saw him coming, they jumped to their feet, questions filling the air. He held up his hands. "They're both fine. Mother and baby are doing well. I...I..." He started laughing as tears started to fall from his eyes.

"I have a daughter."


	18. Regina

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rory and Stephen introduce everyone to their newborn daughter.

She lay in the bed with her daughter in her arms. Stephen sat on the edge of the bed, his back against the headboard, his arm around Rory, gazing down at the baby girl she held.  _Their_  baby girl. She was asleep and kept yawning. He suddenly realised that a baby yawning was the sweetest thing. He spoke softly. "She's as beautiful as her mother."

Rory smiled and gently rocked the baby as she slept. "She has your hair." She had been born with a shock of black hair. That had surprised Rory cause she didn't know that babies had hair when they were born but the doctor told her that it would fall out soon before growing properly. "And your nose."

"Perhaps," he agreed. "But the rest is all you."

Rory turned her head and looked up to Stephen with a smile. His gaze turned from his daughter to his wife and he slowly bent his head down to give her a gentle kiss. "She's perfect," he whispered.

Rory giggled as she looked back to the baby. "I know. I can't believe she's ours. We made her."

Stephen chuckled. "Yes we did." His voice shook and he laughed away the tears. "God, why do I keep crying?"

Rory laughed. "Because you're happy. I am too."

There was a gentle knock on the door. "Come in," Stephen called softly, careful not to wake the baby.

The door opened slowly and Boo peeped around it. She grinned when she saw the baby and crept into the room followed by Callum, Freddie, Thorpe, Jazza and Jerome. They gathered around the foot of the bed and looked at the three Denes who smiled and silently cried with happiness at the head of the bed. "Oh my gosh," Jazza said. "Rory, she's perfect."

Rory giggled. "I know. I'm actually really happy you're all here. I can introduce you to her properly."

"About time," Callum said with a laugh. "I'm dying to know what her name is."

Stephen chuckled and nodded to Callum. "Me too."

Rory looked up to him and smiled softly. "Well then," she said, turning her attention back to the group. "Here she is. I'd like you all to meet..." She looked at the expectant faces of her friends, her daughters godparents, before turning to Stephen.

"Regina."

She heard everyone talking quietly at once, saying it was a lovely name, that she suited it but her eyes didn't leave Stephen. His smile fell away but not completely. His mouth parted slightly in surprise and his bottom lip started quivering. He tried to speak but the words caught in his throat. He blinked and felt the tears slip down his cheeks and fall from his chin. He swallowed hard, sniffed and smiled. His voice was soft, so soft that only Rory could hear it. "Thank you."

She smiled up at him, tears in her own eyes. "It was my first and only choice for her."

He looked at her in awe before leaning down to give her another gentle kiss. Then he slowly stood back from the bed. He held out his arms and Rory gently placed Regina in them. Rory relaxed against the bed and watched Stephen. Stephen held Regina close to his chest. His voice was broken and he was speaking through his sniffling, tears still falling. "Hello Regina. I'm your daddy. And I'm going to look after you.  _I promise_. I will never  _ever_  let anyone hurt you." He laughed gently as she yawned again and turned to the others with a smile.

"I think," Stephen said to Regina, "it's time you meet your godparents."

Stephen smiled up at Jerome, who was standing closest to him, and held out the baby. Jerome wiped away a tear and took her. "Oh my god," Jerome whispered. "She's beautiful."

"Thank you," Stephen whispered back with a grin. "Regina, this is your uncle Jerome. And this," he said pointing to Jazza, "is your Aunt Jazza."

Jazza waved down at Regina with a grin before Jerome carefully handed her to her. Jerome, once free of the baby, walked over to Rory and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Well done...jerk." She giggled at him and watched as Jazza handed Regina to Thorpe. He cradled her for just a moment and nodded to Stephen with a smile before handing her over to Freddie. Freddie squealed quietly and sniffled as she held the baby. Rory smiled as Jazza came over for a hug, followed closely by Thorpe. Freddie came next and Rory saw that Callum now held Regina. "Mate," she heard him say to Stephen softly. "Mate...she's perfect."

He handed her over to Boo and all but ran over to hug Rory. "Congratulations little sis."

Rory wiped her eyes. "Thanks." Boo came over to her for a hug and, over her shoulder, she saw Stephen holding Regina and looking towards her lovingly. She smiled at him before pulling back to look at Boo. "Oh," she whispered to her, taking her hand. "Before I forget. I have a middle name for her as well."

"Yeah?" Boo smiled down at Rory.

Rory nodded. "Josephine."

Boo gasped and bit her lip. Rory continued. "If it hadn't been for Jo, I wouldn't be here now. It felt right."

Boo nodded quickly and wiped her eyes. She smiled widely, fighting the tears. "I think she would've really liked that."

Rory nodded before looking to Boo and then to Callum sheepishly. "I hope I didn't ruin your big day."

"Ror," Callum said gently, "I got engaged to the woman I love and I got a new little niece. This has been the best day ever."

"Yeah," Boo agreed. "You didn't ruin anything. It made it all the more perfect, yeah?"

"Yeah," Rory said through a yawn. "Oh, sorry."

"Don't apologise," Thorpe said. "We can all appreciate that you'll be exhausted."

"We'll leave you to rest," Jerome said and they all agreed. With a few final hugs, kisses and looks of awe to Regina, they left the room leaving Stephen and Rory alone with the baby.

Rory sobbed. And then she wept. She covered her face with her hands and felt a small kiss on the top of her head. When she looked up, she saw Stephen sitting on the edge of the bed, facing her and rocking Regina. "I don't know why I'm crying," she told him.

"You're happy. And exhausted. And sore. And your hormones are through the roof. It's perfectly natural."

She smiled at him and then silently watched Regina sleeping. "I'm curious," Stephen said. "What name did you have in mind for a boy?"

Rory wiped her eyes and smiled at him. "Peter."

Stephen bit back a sob. Both the names she had picked...they were the people from his past. They were the reason he was here now, sitting on the bed with Rory cradling their daughter close to him. Regina, the sister he had adored and lost. The pain that never went away. The pain that had caused him to do something stupid. Peter, the ghost who had saved his life. The ghost he had set free. The ghost who had persuaded him to be a policeman. Rory's first choices had been names to honour the people he had lost and he couldn't find the words of thanks that were strong enough to show his gratitude. Instead, he said three words he had said to her many times before and would say many times more. It was all he could think of that was strong enough to show his thanks, for having her, for having Regina, for having a life.  _"I love you."_

She smiled at him and leant forward to kiss him. It was brief, but it was enough. "I love you too." She rested her forehead against his, both of them looking down to their sleeping daughter between them.


	19. Sleepless Nights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An occupational hazard of having a baby: sleepless nights

The night was calm outside. Cars occasionally passed by on the streets and sometimes an airplane would fly overhead. Now and then a siren would whistle down the street but the wind was calm, the air was calm and the flat was calm. The moonlight peeked through a crack in the curtains and shone across the legs of the sleeping couple. They both lay on their sides, facing each other. His arm was over her waist and she was cradled close to him. She stirred in her sleep a little but the movement disturbed neither one of them. Their bedroom door was partially open, as was the door of the room opposite theirs. The inhabitants of both rooms were calm.

Her dreams were calm too. The nightmares that had plagued her over the years had lessened considerably. She would have them once or twice a year. She used to have them once or twice a month so it was a vast improvement. Her dreams were still weird but the nightmarish memories that used to result in her awaking with a scream were now few and far between. Her dream now was bizarre. It was one of those dreams where you know you're dreaming but it doesn't make it any less weird. She was with Freddie and Boo on a desert island and Freddie had just announced that her life long dream was to be sandcastle. Rory blinked and then Freddie was gone and where she had stood, now stood a sandcastle. Ok, so maybe bizarre wasn't the word. There must've been a better word for a dream in which your friend turns into a sandcastle. Boo laughed and started jumping on said sandcastle. Rory was strangely aware that by destroying it manically, Boo was effectively murdering Freddie. Ok, bizarre was _definitely_  not the word.

But before she could consider it anymore, a noise disturbed the calm of the flat and her dream. A baby was crying somewhere. She looked around the island before realising that the baby wasn't on the island. She opened her eyes blearily and island with the Freddie-castle dissolved and the dark bedroom formed around her. She groaned and stretched and was about the sit up when she felt a hand rub her arm. His voice was groggy. He had just woken up too. "It's alright love," he said. "I'll see her."

Rory yawned. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah darling." He placed a kiss on her forehead. "You go back to sleep."

She smiled at him. Her eyes were heavy. She watched as Stephen rolled over and retrieved his glasses from the bedside table. He picked up his dressing gown and pulled it around him and then her eyes closed again. She heard him go through to the nursery. She heard him talking soothingly to their daughter. She heard Regina calm. No matter how she tried, the island would not return. She smiled and sat up. She shivered in the mid October cold. She stood and picked up her own dressing gown, tying it as tightly as possible around her. Her feet were cold but she was too tired to find her slippers. She walked to the nursery gently and stopped at the doorway. She leant against the doorframe with a silent yawn. They had only been up two hours ago. Stephen had seen to Regina then as well. As tired as he was, Rory knew that he secretly adored waking up every two or three hours to feed her. He wanted to prove himself as a father, not just to Regina, but to himself. And he adored her. It was clear to Rory that she and Regina were Stephens whole world. Everything else could fall away but he would be ok so long as he had those two. She watched him as he fed their daughter. He was a natural.

He was sitting in the rocking chair, rocking backwards and forwards slowly. Regina lay in his arm and he held the bottle to her. He was looking down at her like she was the most precious thing on this earth. And she absolutely was. Rory watched as Regina moved her mouth away from the bottle. Stephen placed the bottle down and gently moved Regina so that she was against his chest, her small head resting against his shoulder. He rubbed her back gently until she burped and then gently placed her back in his arms. She yawned and whimpered a little. Before she could start crying properly, Stephen rocked her in his arms softly. His voice was tiny and quiet. Rory could just make out the words he sang and she smiled warmly.

_"Hush little baby, don't say a word,_   
_Daddy's gonna buy you a mockingbird._   
_And if that mockingbird doesn't sing,_   
_Daddy's gonna buy you a diamond ring."_

Regina cooed a little and yawned again. Stephen stood up gently, rocking her as he did.

_"And if that diamond ring turns to brass,_   
_Daddy's gonna buy you a looking glass._   
_And if that looking glass gets broke,_   
_Daddy's gonna buy you a billy goat."_

He placed a small kiss on her forehead and walked the few steps back to the cot.

_"And if that billy goat doesn't pull,_   
_Daddy's gonna buy you a cart and bull._   
_And if that cart and bull fall over,_   
_Daddy's gonna buy a dog named Rover."_

He leant over the cot and placed her on the cushions gently. She yawned again but was quiet, her little eyes closed as she listened to her daddy's voice.

_"And if that dog named Rover doesn't bark_   
_Daddy's gonna buy you a horse and cart._   
_And if that horse and cart fall down,_   
_You'll still be the sweetest little baby in town."_

He leant on the cot and looked down to the now sleeping baby. Rory smiled as she gently walked over. Stephen turned his head in her direction but only a little. He couldn't tear his eyes away from Regina. Rory placed her hand on his and looked into the cot. Regina stretched and kicked in her sleep. Stephen finally looked to Rory completely but now she was entranced with Regina. Stephen smiled at her and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Rory looked to him with a warm smile. Without a word, Stephen gave Rory a small, soft kiss. Their foreheads rested against each other's when they broke. "Come on," she said. "We only have two hours worth of sleep until she's hungry again."

Stephen chuckled quietly. "Yeah." He turned his attention back to the sleeping baby. "I love you, my beautiful little girl." He looked back to Rory with a gentle smile but he was still talking to Regina. "And I love your mummy too."

She smiled at him and wrapped her arms around his middle, his heart beating against her ear. He pulled her close and rested his head on hers as they both watched their baby sleep.


	20. Tension

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A walk through Hyde Park leads to an encounter that takes a surprising twist

Stephen and Rory walked side by side through Hyde Park. Stephen pushed the pram in front of him. Whenever Regina was awake, he and Rory made faces at her to make her giggle. Whenever she slept, they both watched her adoringly. She was wrapped up warm against the October weather in a tiny, pink winter coat, hat and gloves. The blanket in the pram was wrapped around her tightly. The rain cover was in the baby bag that sat on the tray above the wheels, ready for any rain. The day was sunny, though cold. They had decided to take her for a walk through the park before the sun packed in for the winter. Rory, like Regina, was dressed for the winter. Stephen, like the Brit that he was, wore no coat. He only had a thick jumper and a scarf to keep him warm. His coat was in the baby bag alongside the rain cover. Stephen laughed and said he wouldn't need it. Rory had insisted it come with them.

They talked of everything and anything. They discussed the very recent visit that Frank and Louise had made to meet their granddaughter and how they had adored her. They excitedly talked about Boo and Callums engagement. They laughed about Jerome being next to pop the question and Rory squealed with delight at the thought. She would, she told Stephen, actively encourage it. He laughed and adjusted the teddy bear that lay in the pram next to Regina. They had just been to Jerome and Jazzas flat an hour beforehand for a cup of tea and they had gifted the teddy to their goddaughter.

It was a good day. A very good day. But then Stephen stopped walking. He stopped walking so suddenly that the pram jerked. It only jerked a little bit but it was enough to make Regina whimper. Stephens frozen expression immediately changed from nerves to concern for his daughter. "Oh sweetheart, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He placed his hand in pram and stroked Regina's head soothingly. "Daddy's silly. Daddy's very silly. Daddy didn't mean to wake you up. You go back to sleep sweetheart." He was vaguely aware of Rory's hand on his arm. "Stephen, what's wrong?"

He took a deep breath and placed his hands back on the handle. He looked to her and forced a smile. He spoke quickly and there was a shake in his voice that he couldn't hide from her. "Nothing darling. Shall we turn around and head back?" He sounded eager. Too eager. Rory didn't buy it. "Something's wrong. What is it?"

"How many times must we cross your path on our visits to London?" Rory tensed when she heard the voice ahead of them and she narrowed her eyes angrily. That bastard. That was the last thing Stephen ever needed in his life. "London's a big city. You'd think we'd be able to come here without seeing you."

Stephens eyes were intently studying the ground. His hands were tensed around the handle of the pram. Rory took a deep breath and turned her head to the voice. Stephen might not say anything but she sure as hell was gonna. "Trust me, you're the last person we want to see."

She hated the man who stood a few feet in front of her. Both of his parents stood there but only his father had spoken.  _He_  stood straight and proud.  _She_  was looking at the pram with surprise. Even at a distance, Rory could see that Stephens mother was curious and, maybe she was imagining it, a little sad. At the moment, Rory couldn't care less about his mother. She was just standing there quietly. She hadn't said a word, either good or bad, to either one of them. That was fine by her. As things stood, the entirety of Rory's hatred was trained on Stephens father.

Edward Dene didn't respond to Rory and that was maybe a good thing. There was no way of knowing how she would react to him if he continued. This was the man who had given Stephen and Regina no love, who had made Stephen feel so guilty for Regina's death that he had tried to kill himself, that had made Stephen question his abilities as a father. The hate she felt for him was intense and, on top of that, she had had very little sleep. If his father spoke to her again, she would probably snap. She saw him looking at her hand and heard him scoff. He spoke to Stephen. "So, you married the American whore, did you?"

Stephen saw Rory tense out of the corner of his eye. He glared up at his father. "Don't you dare call her-"

" _Answer me, Stephen_."

Stephen exhaled slowly through his nose, closing his eyes as he did. When he opened them again, he plastered a smile on his lips. He spoke politely. Sarcastically so. "Yes, I did. And I would very much like to thank you for the allowance you give me. It allowed me to give my wife the wedding she deserved. How does it feel to know that your money helped me marry her?"

The last words were said victoriously, like he knew he had challenged his father and won. His father turned his nose up and started to walk away.

" _Answer me, father_." Stephen spoke with the same, patronising tone of voice his father had used on him a moment before. His father turned back and glared at him. "How dare you talk to me like that?"

"I dare very easily." Stephen spoke confidently and Rory smiled at the strength he was showing. "I'm 23 years old. I'm not a child. And I'm not afraid of you or any tone of voice you adopt. I've seen things you wouldn't believe. I've nearly died a few times. I've nearly lost the woman I love more than once. Do you really expect me to be intimated by someone like  _you_?"

Rory exhaled gently. She hadn't been aware that she was holding her breath. She grinned at him but then heard his father's voice. "And what are you smiling at?"

She didn't take her eyes from Stephen and the smile didn't leave her face. Stephen looked at her, proud of himself. "I'm smiling," she said without looking, "because my husband is strong enough to make sure you can't ruin his life anymore."

Stephen smiled widely at her. He turned back to his father when he heard him scoff. "Come on Diana. We're leaving."

Stephens mother didn't move. This shocked Stephen and the smile faded as he watched her carefully. She had never ignored his father before. Her eyes were still glued to the pram and Rory wasn't sure if she had heard anything that had happened. Her mind appeared to be nowhere but the idea that she was a grandmother. Edward followed his wife's eyes to the pram and spoke again, more forcefully this time. " _Diana._ "

Ignoring her husband, Diana stepped closer to the pram. Stephen tightened his grip on the handles and glanced cautiously at Rory. She gave him a steady look before looking back to his mother. She was close enough to the pram to look inside now. She spoke, her attention on the baby. Her voice was quiet, as if unsure. "Is she yours?"

"Yes," Stephen replied. His voice shook, betraying his feelings of uncertainty about the situation.

His mother nodded softly. "What's her name?"

Stephen watched her nervously, almost afraid to say his daughters name but he pushed the fear away and spoke with pride. "Regina."

He had expected her to react, to perhaps chastise him for saying that name out loud. It was, after all, a taboo word in the Dene household. To his surprise, she continued to look at the baby, her expression almost unchanged. He thought he saw, but couldn't be sure, the tiniest hint of a sad smile. She whispered. "Regina."

After a few more seconds she inhaled quickly, but not sharply, and raised her head to look at Stephen. For the first time he could remember, she looked at him softly and, for a moment, he thought she might cry. Her voice was unsteady, almost inaudible, as if she were afraid to speak lest she weep. "She's beautiful."

Stephen furrowed his eyebrows gently, shocked, but touched, by his mothers apparent care. His voice was just as soft as hers. "Thank you."

She swallowed hard and nodded to him politely, even attempting the smallest of smiles, before looking at Rory. Rory looked at her uncertainly but, when Diana nodded to her as she had to Stephen, she nodded back.

With one final look at Regina, Diana cleared her throat and turned to walk away. Her husband was watching with something approaching disgust. Rory watched Stephen carefully as he watched his mother walk away. She saw him take the breath and then heard him speak.

"14 Goodwin's Court."

His mother turned back slowly, her eyes tearful, her voice unsure. "Pardon?"

"That's where we live. 14 Goodwin's Court. In case you want to visit your granddaughter. I'm not sure whether to expect you or not but...if you do come... our door will be open."

Rory watched the scene unfold with love and admiration. She glanced from Stephen to his mother. Diana's lip was quivering. She nodded again and smiled gently, silently thanking him, before walking back to her husband.

Rory placed her hand on Stephens arm. "I'm so proud of you."

He nodded as he watched them walk away. His mother looked over her shoulder to them before turning away again. He exhaled evenly. "Well...that was interesting."

Rory smiled gently and linked her arm through his. "Come on," she said. "Let's drop by Waterloo and see the others."

He smiled at her. "Yeah." She pulled away from him so that he could turn the pram around. Then she linked on again as he pushed it down the path they'd just walked up. He too looked over his shoulder for one final look. He caught his mothers eyes as she looked back again. As they walked in opposite directions, Stephen nodded to her one last time and she returned it. Then mother and son turned back to their spouses and continued their day.


	21. Uninterrupted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Jazza and Jerome take Regina out for the day giving Stephen and Rory a much needed break, they decide to take full advantage of their spare hours.

They had the day to themselves. Jerome and Jazza had offered to take Regina for the day so that Rory and Stephen could have some time to themselves. They had picked up their god daughter at 10 that morning and wouldn't be back till 4, giving Rory and Stephen a much needed break. When Stephen had asked Rory what she wanted to do with their freedom, she had smirked at him, stood without a word and made her way to the bedroom, beckoning him to follow her.

Rory had a very specific idea in mind. She was feeling adventurous. She wanted a dominant Stephen, a Stephen that was completely uninhibited. So she told him what she wanted and, several discussions, kisses, caresses and moans later he knelt on the bed, topless, looking down at his wife handcuffed to the bed. Her shirt was open, her bra was pushed up and her skirt was around her waist. She was breathing heavily and she looked up at him with lustful eyes. She looked completely wanton.

He grinned down at her before running his hands up her legs and over her thighs to her knickers. His finger traced a line over her clothed clit and her breath hitched at the feeling. He hooked his fingers under the waistband and slowly pulled them off of her. Her breathing got heavier as her body was bared to him. He crawled up her body with a mischievous look on his face, his hands ghosting over the scars on her stomach, and kissed her. His hands ran over her breasts and his fingers circled her nipple as his tongue slipped into her mouth. She moaned against his lips, the feeling of being touched this way welcome after such a long reprieve. Her pregnancy had made her tired easily and she had needed time to get over the birth of their daughter. All in all, it had been a while since they had made love and the feeling of him pressed against her body kissing her feverishly was more than welcome.

He broke the kiss and ran his hand back up to her mouth. He traced her lips with his finger, revelling in how red and swollen his kisses had made them. He softly pulled her bottom lip down with his thumb, encouraging her to open her mouth. She parted her lips and he slipped two fingers inside her mouth. His voice was low, underpinned by a small growl. "Suck," he softly commanded.

She moaned around his fingers as she sucked and licked them hungrily. She wished it was another part of his anatomy in her mouth but that could wait. Perhaps they would do that later. He groaned in response to her tongue rolling over his fingers. "Good girl."

He removed the fingers and they both giggled. Her voice was breathless as his hand parted her legs. "I like this dominant side of you."

He smiled at her. "I'm glad. Are you still comfortable?"

"Very."

His hand was between her legs now and he ran his wet fingers over her equally wet pussy. She moaned loudly at the contact and bucked her hips to meet his hand even more. Stephen chuckled at her reaction. "Good."

His fingers teased her opening as he began to kiss her neck. Her breathing was quick, her words coming in gasps. "Stephen...please...please..."

He chuckled against her ear, his breath hot on her skin. "Beg some more."

Her voice was desperate plea. "Please...please...Stephen...Stephen...please..."

He nibbled her earlobe before whispering. "Good girl."

He slowly slipped a finger inside of her, careful not to make her feel uncomfortable, understanding that she might need some time to readjust, mindful that she hadn't been touched like this for months. Her response certainly showed that because her back arched at his touch. "Oh god, yes!"

He laughed gently into her ear before slipping another finger inside of her, just as gently as he had done with the first. He bit her neck and sucked as he pumped his fingers in and out of her, making sure that his thumb was caressing her clit for that added effect. She moaned loudly with each movement and Stephen knew her beautiful noises well enough now to know that she was close. He also knew that a little bit of dirty talk was sometimes enough to push her over the edge. He released her neck from his mouth, gently kissing the loving bruise he had left there.

"Yeah, you like it when I touch you there, don't you?"

"Oh god...yes.."

"Tell me you like it. Go on, tell me how much you like having my fingers inside of you."

"Yes...yes...I like it...I  _love_  it...Stephen..."

"Do you want to come?"

"Stephen...I'm gonna come...I'm gonna...yes...I want...yes..."

His voice was soft and husky in her ear. "Come for me sweetheart. I want to hear you come. It's been so long since I heard you scream my name."

He slipped a third finger inside of her and that was enough. Her back arched and the handcuffs that restrained her rattled against the headboard as she screamed his name. When her orgasm abated, he pulled away from her neck to look at her. Her mouth was hanging open and her eyes were closed as she panted to get her breath back. He caught her lips in a kiss as he took his hand from between her legs. He broke the kiss and sucked his fingers, groaning appreciatively at her taste. He watched her lovingly as she came down from her high. "Was that good for you?"

She laughed breathlessly. "Take a guess." She opened her eyes to look at him and she smiled warmly.

He placed his hand on her cheek and kissed her again, quick and gentle. "Are you tired?"

"Not even a little bit."

"Still comfortable?"

"Yeah."

"Want to keep going?"

"Dear god, yes."

He smiled at her and took off his glasses, laying them on the bedside table. He placed himself on top of her. His dominant streak returned as he slid down her body. "Good. Because I've just remembered how good you taste and I intend to eat you all up."

She groaned as he took her nipples into his mouth as he made his way down her body, peppering feather light kisses over her scar as he went. She sighed happily in anticipation as he parted her legs once more. He hooked his arms around her legs and bit each of her inner thighs, sucking them until he had bruised them as he had done her neck. His long fingers parted her folds. She looked down to him and he grinned at her as his tongue slowly drew a line up her clit. Her head fell back with loud gasp. His eyes closed as he licked her, enamoured by her taste.  _God, she was delicious_. He licked her slowly, quickly, he wrote his name with his tongue, he did everything he could think of to make her squirm under his touch. And squirm she did. She moaned, she sighed and she gasped as his tongue brought her close to the edge once more. She bucked her hips but Stephens strong arms held her steady for him to lick. He held her down even as she tried to move against him, desperate for every possible touch she could get but he wouldn't let her move. It was the sweetest torture.

"Oh my god...Stephen...I'm gonna come again...oh god...yes...yes...right there...please...there!... _Stephen!_ "

She screamed.  _Really_  screamed, and Stephen couldn't help but chuckle against her which made her scream even more. He loved when Rory got like this. She was wild, carefree, raw and loud. He felt his already hard cock twinge with excitement as he listened to the screams he had caused. With one final, languid lick, he placed a small kiss on her clit and each of the hickies he had left on her thighs before sitting up. He looked down at her flushed body as she breathed slowly and deeply, trying to calm the blissful throbbing between her legs. She needed more. She needed it now. She smiled up at him and he returned it. "You still ok?"

"Yes Stephen. I am very,  _very_  ok."

He giggled. "Do you want to keep-"

"Oh yes," she said before he could finish. "Definitely."

He nodded at her with a smile and stood from the bed. She watched as he walked over to the chest of drawers and found a condom. An idea suddenly came to her mind while he was over there.

"Stephen?"

"Yes darling?" He turned around to face her.

She bit her lip and giggled as she tried to find the words. "Could you...if you're ok with it...could you...gag me?"

His eyebrows raised so far they almost came off his head. "Gag you?"

She nodded shyly. "It might be...exciting. It's thrilling that I can't move in every way I want to cause of the handcuffs. I thought it might be as thrilling if I can't make all the sounds I want to as well."

He stared at her, wide eyed. She continued quickly. "It was just an idea...if you're not comfortable-"

"No, I'm fine with it. One question though...if you want me to stop, how will you tell me?"

"I won't want you to stop."

"You don't know that sweetheart," he said gently. "Neither one of us does. Don't get me wrong. The idea of you being gagged excites me. It  _really_  does. But it also kind of...worries me. What if I hurt you? Or you suddenly get uncomfortable? How will you let me know you want me to stop?"

She thought for a moment before she smiled. "I'll click my fingers." She clicked her fingers above her in demonstration. "If I do that, I want you to stop." She smiled at him. "How's that?"

He contemplated her for a moment and then smiled at her mischievously. "Perfect. Now, let's see if I can find something to gag you with."

She sighed happily. "Thank you."

"Anything for you my love."

He turned back to the chest of drawers and started searching through them. His thoughts ran wild. His wife, handcuffed to the bed, gagged. He had to take a few deep breaths to steady himself. He eventually came to the drawer that had a selection of ties in it. A tie would work. He was about to pick up a tie at random when a specific one caught his eye. It was a maroon tie that he had seen many times before. He smiled at it as he picked it up. He had seen Rory wear this several times when she was still a student at Wexford. He could have picked any tie in the drawer but there was something  _deliciously sinful_  about using his wifes old school tie to gag her while he ravished her. He bit back a chuckle and shut the drawer. He picked up the condom he had placed down and walked back over to the bed. He put the condom on the bedside table and held the tie open for Rory to see. "Will this suffice, my darling?"

She giggled when she saw which tie he was holding. "Yes it will."

He whispered seductively as he sat down on the bed next to her, holding the tie between his hands again. "I'm glad. Now, lift your head and open your mouth."

She smiled at him and did as he said. He placed the tie in her mouth and wrapped the ends around the back of her head where he tied them. "Good girl. Is that comfortable?"

She murmured her assent against the tie and looked at him with eager eyes. "Good."

He stood up again and teasingly undid his jeans. He pulled them off and saw Rory looking at the bulge in his boxers with hungry eyes. He picked up the condom, placed his hand on her neck and ran it down her body as he walked to the bottom of the bed. Then he turned back to look at her. He put the condom on the bed and slipped off his boxers. He groaned as his cock was released from the boxers and Rory moaned against her gag in anticipation. She was nodding to him enthusiastically. He climbed onto the bed and parted her legs. She could feel her clit pulsing with desire and excitement. He knelt above her and smiled down at her. He lifted the condom up and ripped it open with his teeth. He put it on his cock and placed himself between her legs. He stroked her clit with the head of his cock before teasing her entrance. He looked down at her, the question in his eyes.  _Are you sure?_ , they silently asked. Rory was panting and she nodded quickly.

He knelt over her, placing his hands on either side of her body and slowly, softly, pushed himself into her. Immediately, she threw her head back, arched her back and moaned loudly against her gag. Her hands gripped the bars of the headboard and she opened her legs even wider for him. He groaned softly as he entered her. She was warm and wet and he had missed the feeling of her pulsing around him. He lowered himself above her completely and rested his forehead against hers as he entered her fully. She wrapped her legs around him tightly. He placed his hands on the bars of the headboard, careful to leave her hands free so she could click if necessary. He pulled out before thrusting back in again, still going slow as not to hurt her. He was very aware that he had not made love to her in months. She looked at him with eager eyes, nodding quickly and bucking against him. He rightly took that as a sign to go a little faster. He thrust quicker and deeper and was rewarded with desperate, muffled moans from Rory. He wasn't going to last long and he knew it. He also knew that she wasn't going to either. He looked down at her as he thrust and she motioned her eyes upward. He looked to their hands on the headboard. Her fingers were desperately reaching out for his. She wanted his hands in hers. He took them, lacing his fingers through hers, both of them safe in the knowledge that she didn't want him to stop, each of them gripping tightly to the other as their orgasms neared. Rory was close now,  _so close_ , and she relished the feeling of Stephen desperately fucking her. She had missed this  _so fucking much_. He was groaning against her and she loved it. "Rory...fuck...yes...Rory... _ahhh_..."

She was right. There was something exhilarating in not being able to scream. She moaned against the gag and gripped his hands tighter. She was there and so was he. They came together, hard and fast. He was screaming her name. She would've been screaming his again had it not been for the gag. The pleasure ripped through her and she saw stars behind her eyes. Her whole body relaxed in exhaustion as she came down from her high. Stephen collapsed on top of her, spent and panting. He slowly pulled himself out of her, lying next to her. He whispered softly. "Lift your head darling." She did so and he untied the gag and removed it. She sighed and smiled at him. He looked at her cautiously. "Are you ok?"

"Yes, very ok. Are you?"

He giggled and nodded. He reached over to the bedside table and retrieved the key to the handcuffs. "Here..."

He unlocked the handcuffs and took Rory's hands. She turned onto her side. He looked at the slight red marks around her wrists and kissed them before kissing her softly. She giggled. "Wow...I missed that so much."

"Me too." He stood up. "Hold on, I'll just get rid of this."

As he disposed of the condom, Rory removed the clothes that were hanging off of her and threw them to the other side of the room so that she, like Stephen, was completely naked. Stephen came back into the room and smiled as he lay down on the bed. "There we go." He wrapped his arm around her and huddled close. "We still have a few hours till they're back. What should we do?"

She smirked at him. "Well, when you put your fingers in my mouth before...it really made me want to do something to you."

"Oh?"

She cocked her eyebrows at him and kissed him, pushing his shoulder so he was lying on his back. She crawled on top of him as she kissed him, both of them groaning when his cock rubbed against her clit. One of his hands was in her hair and one was kneading a breast and his tongue was in her mouth and Rory could feel him getting hard again.  _Good,_  she thought.  _Just the way I like it_. She broke the kiss and moved down his body, planting kisses all the way down his chest, licking his nipples as she went. His breathing became fast again. She loved it when he dominated her but she liked being in control too. She loved that she could do both. When she reached his stomach, she nestled herself comfortably between his legs. She took his cock in her hand and slowly slid her hand up and down, up and down, up and down. She looked up as he groaned. His eyes were half lidded and his lips were parted. She grinned and licked the entire length of his shaft. He hissed in pleasure as her tongue moved up his cock and stopped at the head. She circled her tongue around the head and placed gentle kisses on it before taking his cock into her mouth. He bucked against her before he restrained himself so he wouldn't choke her. But she seemed to enjoy it.

"Rory...fuck...oh yes...yes...God...fucking hell...yes..."

She smiled around his cock as she hungrily took him deeper and deeper into her mouth. She liked it when he lost his composure and started swearing. She liked it when he came undone. She liked that she could do that to him. It was a side of Stephen that only she knew and she loved seeing it. His hands gripped her hair as her head bounced up and down his cock. Her hands rested on his thighs and his left her hair to find them. Their fingers laced together as Stephen moaned, grunted and groaned.

"Yeah, go on baby...suck it...go on...fuck...

He tried to control his breathing to make him last longer but it was no use. Her mouth was too hot, her tongue too wet and his wife all too perfect for him to last much longer. "Rory, baby... I'm gonna come...soon."

She murmured her understanding against him and continued to suck. He groaned again. "Rory...yes...God...Rory...I'm gonna...Rory..."

She murmured again and looked up to him as she sucked. He looked down at her and saw the mischievous glint in her eyes. He watched her suck his cock until he couldn't hold back anymore. "God... _Rory!_ "

He screamed as his head fell back and he came into her mouth. She moaned appreciatively and he felt her swallow around him before pulling off with an audible pop. He looked down at her and she licked her lips as she crawled back up him. She lay beside him. "Hmmmm...I've been wanting to that for a while."

He chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her and steadied his breathing. "So, what now?"

She smiled at him. "I think we should get a couple of hours sleep, just to catch up. We'll fall asleep naked in each other's arms, set an alarm, wake up in a couple of hours and make love again."

He giggled at her and kissed her. "I think that's a wonderful idea."


	22. Vast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Rory worries about her new stretch marks joining her scar, Stephen explains that he will forever and always find her beautiful.

Rory stood in her underwear gazing at her reflection in the mirror. She ran her hand over her stomach. Her fingers traced the line of her scar before whispering over her new stretch marks. They hadn't looked so bad when she was pregnant but now that her stomach was back to being flat, they certainly didn't look great. She frowned.  _So many scars_. She looked at Stephens reflection in the mirror. He was lying in their bed, propped up against the headboard, bedside light on, reading a book. She returned her gaze to the reflection of her stomach as she spoke. "Stephen?"

"Hmm?" He murmured inquisitively as he looked up from his book. Though her back was to him, he smiled at her, knowing that she could see him via the mirror.

"Do you still think I'm beautiful?"

He narrowed his eyes at her, puzzled by her question. "Of course I do. I think you're the most beautiful person in the world. Why do you ask?"

Her hand ran over her scars again. She turned around to face him. "Well look at me. Look at these." She waved her hand over her stomach.

He sighed through his nose and smiled. "I am looking at you."

"And what do you see?"

"I see a strong, brave woman who has been through more in her 21 years than most people have in a lifetime. You don't go through the things you've been through without acquiring a few scars along the way. Besides, those scars are you. They're important. Like that one." He drew a line through the air with his finger, indicating the scar the Ripper left her. "You survived an attack that would kill a lot of people and something happened to you that night that made you a permanent part of my life. And those stretch marks show that you carried and gave birth to our daughter. Scars are what make us who we are. I could never think of you as anything but beautiful and those scars don't lesson that. Not in the slightest." He smiled at her sweetly.

She smiled at him warmly. "Really?"

"Rory, my love for you is vast. So vast that it  _literally_  spans life and death. So vast that it will span decades. And when you love someone like that, they are beautiful to you no matter what. Scars won't diminish that. I love you so much Rory. Scars and all."

He held out his hand to her and she smiled as she put out the light and walked over to the bed, placing her hand in his. "I thought the quote was 'warts and all.'"

He kissed her hand and let go so she could pick up her pyjamas from the bed and put them on. "You don't have any warts."

She chuckled as she pulled on the bottoms. "Yet. I may have when I'm an old woman."

"And when we're old and Gina's grown up and we have grandkids, I will still think that you're as beautiful as the day I met you."

She smiled at him as she put on the top and pulled back the covers. She climbed in and cuddled up next to him. "Promise?"

He smiled at her, took of his glasses, placed them on his bedside table alongside his book and turned out the light. He shifted so that he was lying beside her and took her hand. "I promise. I will always find you beautiful."

She smiled sadly. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "No. I meant...promise me that we'll still be together when we're old."

He bit his lip. She wasn't asking for reassurance that he wouldn't leave her. They both knew that he could never do that. She was looking for reassurance that he wouldn't die. Their work was dangerous and it was a difficult promise to make. He never wanted to make a promise to her that he would break. And promising to be with her when she was old meant promising to get old. That was not a guarantee in their life. He knew at all too well. He had died when he was 19. He had nearly died several times since. It was nothing short of a miracle that he was here. And yet,  _he was here_. Despite it all, he was alive. And in that moment, he was sure he would grow old with her. He was as sure of that as he was that she was perfection incarnate. He gazed into her eyes and squeezed her hand. "I promise."

He kissed her gently in the darkness and they held hands as they both closed their eyes. "I love you Stephen."

"I love you too."

Regina cried from the nursery. Stephen chuckled as they both sat up to see to their daughter. "Maybe that's Gina telling us that she loves us too."


	23. Wounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Diana Dene visits her granddaughter, she and Stephen try to heal some old wounds

They both sat on the couch, looking adoringly at Regina cradled in Stephens arms. The buzzer went for the front door downstairs and they both looked at each other. Stephen spoke, a little bit of confusion lacing his voice. "Odd. Doesn't everyone we know know the code for the door?"

"Yeah," Rory replied just as confused. "You stay with Gina. I'll get the door."

He nodded to her gently as she left the living room. She walked out of the flat, down the stairs and to the front door. She opened it with no clue as to who she'd see. Who she did see surprised her.

"Oh...good afternoon, Mrs Dene."

Diana Dene stood at the front door, unsure of what to do next. She smiled shyly at Rory. "Thank you...Mrs Dene." She chuckled softly at that.

"Well," Rory said, trying to ignore the previous hatred she had felt for this woman. "It's going to get a bit confusing if we both refer to each other as Mrs Dene. I'm Rory." If Stephen could try to build a bridge, then so could she. She held out her hand.

The other woman shook it, firm and yet uncertainly. "Diana."

Rory licked her lips and bit the inside of her cheek. "Would you...care to come in?"

Diana nodded shyly. "If-if that's ok."

"Please." Rory opened the door wider and stepped aside.

Diana came in carefully, unsure if she would really be welcome or not. "Thank you."

Rory closed the front door, exhaling quietly, trying to calm the beating of her heart. Diana stood wringing her hands together just as nervously. Rory forced a smile and stepped onto the stairs. "It's just up here."

Diana nodded and smiled politely and climbed the stairs behind Rory. Rory opened the flat door. She could hear Stephen in the living room, talking to Regina in a high pitched baby voice. Diana inhaled deeply when she heard her sons voice. Rory continued and walked towards the living room slowly. The door was partially ajar. Rory pushed the door open fully and looked at Stephen. His back was to the door and he had lain Regina down on one side of the couch. He kept placing his hands over his eyes and then taking them away again. "Peek a boo, I see you!" He covered his eyes again and gave a playful surprised gasp when he uncovered them again. "Huh! Peek a boo, I see you!" Regina was giggling. "Who's beautiful? Who's beautiful? That's right. You are. You're beautiful. Like your mummy. And daddy loves you very, very much. Yes he does." She giggled again and his normal voice returned as he picked her up and praised her lovingly. "Aww Gina, you're so cute when you giggle."

Diana smiled softly. Rory smiled at him warmly. She took a deep breath.

"Stephen?"

"Yeah?" He was still smiling at Regina.

"We have a visitor."

He gave Regina a kiss on the forehead and looked to Rory with a smile. His breath hitched when he saw the woman next to her. "Mother?"

She nodded to him quickly. "Hello Stephen."

He nodded to her in return and managed a small smile. "Hello."

She spoke hesitantly and fiddled with her handbag. "You, er, said I could visit?"

"Yes, of course. Please." He motioned to the other couch with the same small, uncertain smile. "Welcome to our home. You've met my wife?"

Diana smiled between her son and daughter-in-law as she walked over to the opposite couch. "Yes, I have. You've done well for yourself."

"Thank you," he whispered.

She smiled again and sat. She placed her handbag down on the floor and sat with her hands on her knees. Her hands were scrunching up the bottom of her skirt. Rory knew nerves when she saw them and both of the Denes in front of her were displaying them. Neither one of them knew how this was going to play out. An awkward silence fell on the room, broken only when Regina whimpered in Stephens arms. He reacted immediately, his attention turning to his daughter. He rocked her gently. "Shhh, it's ok. It's ok."

Rory exhaled quietly. "I'll put the kettle on." She looked to Diana. "How do you take your tea?"

"Oh, milk and two sugars, thank you." They both smiled at each other politely before Rory looked to Stephen. "Tea?"

He looked up from Regina and nodded. "Thank you, sweetheart."

Rory left the room leaving Stephen alone with his mother and daughter. They sat across from each other silently, occasionally glancing at each other, smiling nervously when they caught each other's eye. Diana opened her mouth to speak but closed it again almost as quickly. She licked her lips and tried again. "Rory seems lovely."

Stephen smiled and nodded. "She is. She's incredible. I don't know what I'd do without her."

"You both seem very much in love."

He chuckled shyly. "Of course. We're married." He thought he saw his mothers eyes flicker sadly at that. He briefly wondered if all was ok between her and his father. He continued. "Without her, I'd be dead long ago. We're very, very close. And yes, madly in love."

"That's good." She smiled again.

The silence returned for a few seconds before Stephen spoke. "Does father know you're here?"

"Yes. He wasn't pleased."

"But you came anyway?"

She nodded gently. Her eyes fell to the baby. She cleared her throat as she reached down for her handbag. She pulled it up onto her lap. "I, er, have some things for Regina."

Stephen watched her curiously as she searched through her handbag. She pulled out a small teddy bear. It was old and one of its eyes was missing. This was followed quickly by a small, pink baby dress. "I think the dress will still be a bit big for her and the teddy bear isn't new but I thought she should have them. After all, they...they did belong to the aunt she was named for."

She placed the teddy on the dress and put both on the table in front of her. Stephen looked at them, his lips slightly parted. He thought that everything that had belonged to Gina was long gone save for the books he had salvaged. He never imagined that his mother would keep things like what was in front of him. He expertly held Regina with one arm while his other hand went to pick up the teddy bear. He held it close to her. His voice wavered as he spoke. "Here you go Gina. This is from your grandma. It belonged to your aunty. And now it's yours." Regina giggled at the bear and Stephen looked back to his mother. "Thank you."

The living room door opened and Rory came in with a tray of mugs. She placed it down on the table, avoiding the dress. "What a beautiful dress that is."

"Yeah," Stephen agreed. "It belonged to my sister. Mother brought it for Gina." Rory looked across to the other woman. "It's lovely. Thank you."

Diana smiled as Rory set her mug on the table in front of her. When she had put the mugs down, she went over to Stephen. "Do you want me to take her?"

Stephen looked up and smiled. "Please." He handed Regina to Rory as he picked up his mug and took a sip of the tea. He set it back down with a gentle tap.

Diana looked to Stephen and then to Rory. Her eyes turned to the baby again. Her voice shook and she was sure her request would be denied. And she would deserve it if it was. She held out her arms hesitantly. "May I?"

Rory looked at her, then to Stephen. Stephens attention was fixed solely on his mother. His eyes were wide and his mouth was slightly parted. Rory looked back to her and nodded. "Of course." She approached Diana carefully and placed Regina in her arms.

She cradled her gently and memories of her own Regina at this age flooded her mind. Where had she gone wrong? At what point did she stop caring for her daughter? How could she have done that? She had noticed Regina becoming more and more destructive to herself. Why didn't she do anything when she had the chance? And yet, she already knew the answers. She was too self involved. All she wanted to think about was the next holiday or Stephen getting into Eton. But even Stephen didn't get her full attention. She wasn't a mother to either one of them. And then Regina had died and she wouldn't let Stephen grieve properly, wouldn't let him mention her without a reprimand. Then he had tried to kill himself. She had almost lost him too and yet she still didn't do anything. She didn't visit him in the psychiatric hospital, she hadn't supported his dream of being a police officer, she had never let him be who he was. She hadn't cared until it was too late to care.

Diana looked down at Regina and her chest started to heave as she considered her own failings as a parent. At least Stephen hadn't learnt from them. She and her husband weren't good parents and he clearly was. She had only seen him with Regina briefly but it was evident that he knew how to be a loving father. It came natural to him. She wished it had come natural to her too. "I'm sorry," she whispered to the baby, although it was directed to the daughter who could no longer hear her and the son she was sure she had lost long ago. Stephens lip quivered and he bit it as he watched her while Rory looked between them sadly. "I'm sorry," Diana said again, but louder. She looked up to Rory and held Regina out to her. Rory took her daughter and stepped back. Diana looked across to Stephen as tears fell. "I'm sorry," she said a third time, but this time her voice gave way into sobs. She covered her face with her hands and wept unashamedly. Stephen watched her in shock for a moment before standing and walking over to the couch she sat on. A single tear slipped down his cheek as he sat down beside her. He gingerly placed on hand on her shoulder. "Mother?"

Diana looked up to him slowly. Her breath was ragged from crying. Stephen tried to smile but his lip quivered too much. He sobbed a couple of times before he managed to get the words out. "It's ok." He bit his lip and sniffed. He nodded to her, trying to reassure her. "It's ok." And then he wept as heavily as she had done. For the first time he could remember, he felt his mothers arms around him and he cuddled into her as they cried against each other gently.

A tear slipped down Rory's cheek and she smiled as she watched her husband and her mother-in-law attempt to heal a long open wound. She looked down to her daughter who had fallen asleep against her. She rocked her gently and, with one final look to the crying pair on the couch, she left the room. She walked up the stairs to the bedrooms softly, and opened the door to the nursery. She placed a small kiss on Regina's forehead and placed her in the cot.

She sat down on the rocking chair next to the cot and looked down at the sleeping baby. She smiled brightly as she thought about the pair downstairs. It had taken her granddaughter to make Diana Dene realise that she loved her children. She could never repair her relationship with Regina. That chance had been taken away from her. And she'd never know that the chance to repair things with Stephen had very nearly been taken away from her too. Several times.

But she was trying now and it was better late than never.


	24. X-Files

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Rory buys the complete collection of The X Files, she suggests that the Shades sit down together to watch a few episodes.

Rory burst through the front door with excitement. She was carrying a large carrier bag and it swung by her side. She quickly waved to Boo, Callum and Freddie as she passed the office and tore up the stairs into the flat. Stephen was pacing the living room with Regina when Rory all but flew through the door. "Oh my god!"

Stephens head whipped round when she came in and he raised an eyebrow questioningly as she placed the large carrier bag on the table.

"Are you ok? You seem manic."

"I'm fine. I'm just excited."

"Are you sure?" He asked, amusement lacing his voice. "Sweetheart, if you're on something, I promise to support you. We'll get through it together."

She frowned at him playfully before smiling. "You wouldn't believe what I've found. So, I've just been to HMV-"

He chuckled. "I can see that." He nodded to the carrier bag which bore the shops logo.

Rory nodded her head. "Well, look what I've bought."

She opened the bag and pulled out a box set of DVDS. "The complete collection of The X Files, seasons 1-9 and both movies. And it was only £50!"

He looked at her, a smile pulling at the corner of his lips. He nodded. "Well...good."

"Isn't it awesome?!" She smiled at him brightly, her arms extended in the direction of the DVDS and he continued nodding.

"Sure?" He replied cautiously, concerned that she might throw him out of the window if he answered wrong.

She dropped her arms to her sides. "You've never seen it have you?"

"I may have seen a re-run on tv when I was at Eton but I wasn't paying much attention."

"God, Stephen. It's so good! My mom used to watch it  _all the time_." She gasped loudly as a thought crossed her mind. "I have an idea. You, me and the guys should totally watch an episode of two. You'll love it, I swear. It's basically a show about our lives." She rushed out the door again. "I'll be right back!"

He heard her footsteps as she hurried down the stairs and laughed. He looked down to Regina. "Your mummy's mad. Completely bonkers. And that's why we love her."

After a couple of minutes, he heard more than one set of footsteps ascending the stairs. He sat down on the couch with Regina as Rory came back in with Boo, Callum and Freddie. Freddie gasped the minute she saw the box. "The X Files! I love that show!"

Rory's mouth dropped as she looked at Freddie. "Oh my god, me too!"

Freddie rushed over to her. "Do you remember that episode with the little green bugs that only killed you in the dark?"

"Yeah! Oh my god, I slept with my lights on for a week!"

"Some guy at school had a green laser pen and one time, when the teacher out the lights off, he started shining it near me. I nearly freaked out."

Rory laughed. "Oh my god, that's brilliant!"

"I thought so too afterwards. But I wanted to kill him when he did it. Mind, I wouldn't mind if Scully came to the rescue." She winked playfully at Rory and they both started laughing. The others watched the exchange with raised eyebrows. Callum slowly turned to look down at Stephen, silently asking him what was going on. Stephen shrugged his shoulders.

"So," Rory's voice caught their attention. "I was thinking that we watch a couple of episodes."

Boo looked at the box, intrigued. "What's it about?"

"Well, there's two FBI agents called Mulder and Scully-"

"Oh my god," Freddie said. "Totally ship it."

"I know, right?" Rory agreed excitedly. "Anyway, they're in charge of all the weird, unsolved cases called the X Files and they basically hunt down monsters and aliens and stuff."

Boo nodded happily. "Sounds cool. I'm in."

Callum nodded. "Yeah, why not? We deserve a break."

Boo and Callum got comfortable on one of the couches as Rory looked to Stephen. He smiled at her adoringly. She grinned back before opening the box set and putting the first disc in the DVD player. She sat down next to Stephen and Regina on the couch.

Three hours later, Thorpe came by and, seeing no one in the office, made his way up the stairs to the flat. He heard the tv on and opened the living room door. They all looked at him with "heys" before looking back to the screen. Thorpe looked at them all, a small smile on his lips.

"Shouldn't you all be working?"

"Just taking a break," Callum said.

Thorpe nodded and looked back at the screen. "In charge of people who hunt the strange and mysterious for a living, often getting into trouble. Gotta say, I relate to Skinner on a personal level."

Rory and Freddie looked at each other across the room in amazement before turning their attention to Thorpe. He was clearly a fan. He smiled at them both and entered the living room fully, sitting himself next to Freddie as the next episode started.


	25. Yikes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Rory visits Alistair with Regina in tow, she finds something out about her daughter

The library was quiet. It always was at Christmas. This was always when Rory managed to get access to the Wexford grounds. She could only get in for a few minutes but at least she got in. The last time she had been here, she had told Alistair that she was pregnant. Now she carried her three month old daughter upright in her arms. Regina had a new coat, one that said 'baby's first Christmas,' a gift from her Grandma Diana. Rory and Stephen loved it. As Rory's footsteps sounded through the library, Regina looked around the room with a curious smile on her face. She giggled at the Christmas decorations. She instinctively held onto her mother tightly as Rory ascended the stairs to the first floor. She moved along the stacks before stopping and peering down one. She hit the light switch.

Alistair sat on the window ledge reading. He didn't look up but instead nodded to the book. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," Rory replied. "I've brought someone for you to meet. She won't be able to see you but I thought you'd want to see her."

"Oh?" He said, still not looking up.

Regina cooed as she looked at the light. The baby noise caught Alistair's attention and he lifted his head to look to Rory. His eyes softened when he saw the baby. "She beautiful."

"Thank you."

"What's her name?"

"Regina."

"Nice."

Rory smiled at him as Regina giggled at something she saw through the window. Rory carefully sat down on the ground, sitting Regina on her lap. "I only have a few minutes. How's things?"

"Same old, same old."

Rory nodded as she tickled Regina's belly. She laughed and then pointed to the window. Rory moved her head to look around Alistair and saw a flock of birds outside. Babies were easily amused. She smiled. Alistair's voice came from the ledge. "What about you? How's things with you?"

"Crazy, as always. The same old crazy but now I have a baby in tow. Extra crazy."

"You enjoying it though?"

She smiled softly. "I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world."

Regina giggled in her lap again, and again pointed towards the window. Rory looked outside but the birds were gone. There was nothing for Regina to laugh at. "You're an odd one," she whispered to her.

Alistair laughed. "With the parents she has, can you blame her if she's odd?"

Rory chuckled. "No, I guess not."

She looked down at Regina who was staring at the window with a smile. "I just wonder what she's smiling at."

Alistair looked down to Regina and her smile grew wider as he did so. He frowned and swung his legs off the ledge, putting his book on the floor as he did. He stood and walked a couple of steps. Rory watched him cautiously. "Careful, don't come too close to me or-"

"I know. Boom. Rory?"

She looked up to him from the floor. "Yeah?"

"Look at your daughter."

Rory's gaze dropped to her lap and she saw Regina looking up in Alistair's direction. Her eyes narrowed in confusion. "Alistair?"

"Uh-huh?"

Rory whispered, careful not to draw her daughters attention. "Go back to the window."

Alistair took the couple of steps back and Regina's eyes followed him as he did. Then she pointed to him with a laugh. Rory's breathing grew shallow and her voice shook. "Wave."

"What?"

"Wave. She copies people."

Alistair shrugged and waved at Regina. She waved back. Alistair's attention went back to Rory. She'd gone white. "Oh my god." She looked up at him, her eyes wide. "She can see you."

Alistair sighed. "Yikes."


	26. Zest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Rory tells Stephen what she's discovered about their daughter, they both accept the situation and enjoy the December day.

She walked back to the tube quickly. The pram that she had left at the entrance of the library rumbled along the cobblestones in front of her. Her mind was everywhere and nowhere at the same time. She walked with an aim and yet seemed to do so aimlessly. Like a zombie. Regina cooed in her pram and Rory smiled down at her. But inside, her mind was racing. She had expected this to be possible but she hadn't quite expected it to happen yet. She had even asked Stephen when he first found out she was pregnant. She remembered it. It was the new year and she was lounged across Stephens lap.

_"Do you think he or she will have the gene for the sight?"_

_"Likely. Since both of us have it, it's highly likely to be passed down but that doesn't mean they'll have the sight. We didn't get it until a near death experience."_

_"I met a ghost once, Lord Williamson, you met him too, he said he was born with the sight. No near death experience required."_

_"I suppose it can sometimes happen like that."_

_"Do you think...?"_

_"Perhaps, since both parents have the gene, this baby may be born with the sight but we won't know that until it's older."_

_Screw older_ , she thought.  _I know now_. Without realising how, she found herself on the tube. She really had been a zombie, managing to get where she needed without realising it. When she got off the tube again, she walked the final few minutes to Goodwin's Court, passing the streets in a blur. When she eventually got inside, she parked the pram in the office, picked up Regina and hurried up the stairs. "Stephen!"

She burst through into the living room. Stephen stood in the middle of the room, phone to his ear. He looked at her with concern. "Can I phone you back? Ok, great. Yeah, I love you too, mum." He hung up the phone and looked to Rory. "Rory, what's the matter, sweetheart?"

Rory spoke quickly. "She saw him."

Stephens eyebrows pulled down in confusion. "What?"

"Gina. She saw Alistair."

His mouth parted slightly and his eyes went wider. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. When he walked, her eyes followed. When he waved, she waved back. She saw him, Stephen. Definitely."

Stephen stood quietly. He smiled softly as he walked over to Rory. He held out his arms. Rory gently passed Regina over to him. She cooed when she was placed in her father's arms and rested her head against his shoulder. Rory smiled. She adored seeing them together. Stephen spoke with a reassuring whisper. "Let's not worry about it."

"I'm not  _worried_ , just...I don't know. I think I saw it coming but I wasn't sure."

"I had my suspicions that this might happen. After all, we both have the gene so naturally Gina would. As to why she's been born with the  _sight_  rather than with an  _inactive gene_ , my best guess would be that...because it had been activated in both of us when she was conceived, it's been active in Gina since birth rather than being dormant."

Rory smiled softly. "You're being a nerd again."

He smiled back. "You like it when I'm nerdy."

She chuckled and stepped forward for a soft kiss. Then she gave Regina a kiss on the head. "We'll just have to teach her how to live with it."

"It might be easier for her than it was for us. It was weird for us because it was a sudden change. For Gina, well, she'll never have known any different. For her, seeing ghosts will be a normal part of her life, not a strange ability she picked up as a teenager."

Rory nodded and looked at Regina. Regina smiled up at her and Rory smiled back. "True. Maybe it's a blessing in disguise. Either way, she's perfect."

Stephen was looking lovingly at Rory. "Like her mother."

Rory turned her eyes to Stephen and her smile widened. "Speaking of mothers...it sounded like I interrupted a phone call."

He chuckled. "Yeah, mum phoned to wish us all a Merry Christmas."

"Sorry."

"Don't worry about it darling. I'll phone her back in a couple of minutes. I'll tell her that it had something to do with Gina but that everything's ok."

"I'm still really happy that you both managed to sort things out between you."

"So am I. It's nice to have a mother."

"Somewhere, your sister is smiling."

"Yeah... I know." He smiled to himself gently. "Mum said she might pop over on Boxing Day if it's ok."

"Yeah, great."

He kissed her again and rested his forehead against hers. Regina giggled between them. They both looked at her and saw her pointing out of the window behind Stephen. They looked out and saw that a light snow had begun to fall. Regina giggled at it again. "Of course," Rory said, "Gina's never seen snow before."

Stephen turned back to look at Rory with a wide smile. "Well, she's still wrapped up warm as are you, so..." He handed Regina back to Rory. "Why don't you take Gina outside to look at the snow and I'll be out once I've got my coat and scarf on."

Rory nodded. "Ok." As she left the living room, she turned back to Stephen. "Don't forget to call your mom."

"I'll do it outside."

She smiled at him again and left the living room. She left the flat and walked down the stairs, talking to Regina merrily. "Are you excited Gina? Snow is awesome. You're gonna love it." She opened the front door and stepped out onto the street. She lifted her face to the sky and felt the flakes leave cold kisses on her cheeks and nose. Regina was giggling in her arms and trying to catch the flakes. "Go on Gina! You can do it. Catch it! Yay! Huh! Where did it go? Did it melt?" She laughed as Regina giggled and hugged her close. It was nearly a year ago that she had told Stephen she was pregnant. How quickly that time had flown. She breathed the cold air deeply and then turned as she heard the front door open. Stephen stepped out with his phone to his ear. Wordlessly, he walked up to Rory and kissed her. Then he kissed Regina on the forehead. Rory looked back to Regina. "Is daddy phoning grandma?"

Stephen chuckled at them before he spoke. "Hi mum. Yeah, everything's fine...it was something to do with Gina but don't worry, everything's ok." He chuckled. "Yes, I'm sure everything's ok. Hang on, I'll put you on speaker."

He took the phone away from his ear and pressed a button. Then he held it out in his palm. "Ok, you're on speaker. Rory and Gina are here."

"Hi Diana."

Diana's voice came through the phone happily. "Hello Rory. How are you?"

"I'm great thanks. You?"

"Yes, I'm well. Thank you."

Regina cooed and Rory giggled. "Is that grandma on the phone? Say 'hi grandma!'"

Regina garbled some sounds that sounded like Rory's happy tone of voice but not like words. Diana laughed at the other end of the phone. "Very good try Gina."

Stephen chuckled. "I was just telling Rory that you wanted to come over on Boxing Day."

"Yes, I'd love to if that's ok with you both."

"Of course it is," Rory replied.

"Wonderful. I can't wait."

"Neither can I," Stephen said sincerely. "I'm looking forward to seeing you, mum."

"I'm looking forward to seeing you too. We still have so much to catch up on."

Stephen smiled and blinked back a tear. "Yeah, we do. And I'm looking forward to it."

"As am I."

Stephen cleared his throat and Rory cuddled into him. He put an arm around her. Diana spoke again. "I have to go. Your father's car just pulled up outside. I don't mind him knowing that I talk to you but, at the moment, I can't be bothered with the argument."

Stephen chuckled quietly. "I understand. Does he know you're coming over on Boxing Day?"

"He knows I  _want_  to. I'll tell him I definitely  _am_  in a few minutes."

"He won't mind?"

"It wouldn't matter if he did. It's not going to stop me."

Stephen smiled widely. "Ok, I'll see you then."

"Goodbye dear. Now, before I hang up, are you sure everything's ok?"

He thought about everything that had happened in the past year. Finding out he was going to be a father, going to Louisiana, going with Rory to her first scan, the explosion in West London that had frightened all of them, Callum proposing to Boo, seeing Regina for the first time, making amends with his mother...

Stephen looked up to the snow and then to his wife and daughter next to him, both of them smiling happily as the flakes descended on them.

"Yeah," he said honestly as he looked at his family. "Everything is perfect."


End file.
